I agree with the previous posts in that Jane Jacobs seems to be overly pessimistic, and that she didn’t always fully explain her statements and accusations. Still, she brings up some good points. As Zachy mentioned, a city is a very complex structure, and city planning can be incredibly complicated. Things that work for one city may fail miserably in another. There is also the danger of over-planning, which, though it strives to make the city as efficient and business/tourism-friendly as possible, often results in artificiality and the failure of cities to perform basic functions. A good example of this would be Brasilia, Brazil’s capital. This city had everything planned out before it was built, leading to a lot of controversy and debate about modern urban planning.
About this Site
This semester, Macaulay Honors students in Professor Vellon's "Peopling of New York" course studied Corona, Queens, one of the world's most diverse neighborhoods.
The students read ethnographic and historical works about the area, took a walking tour and returned to the neighborhood to take pictures, speak to local residents and learn more about the neighborhoods history, institutions, and everyday life.
This website is the final product of this research. It is meant to share some of Corona's history, through its changing food traditions, changing demographics, and changing religious, cultural and recreational institutions and to serve as a guide to contemporary Corona, mapping many of the community resources.
Have a look around!
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