What We See: Advancing the Observations of Jane Jacobs - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 098155931X ISBN 13: 9780981559315

Publisher: New Village Press, 2010

Synopsis

A timely revisitation of renowned urbanist-activist Jane Jacobs' lifework, What We See invites thirty pundits and practitioners across fields to refresh Jacobs' economic, social and urban planning theories for the present day. Combining personal and professional observations with meditations on Jacobs' insights, essayists bring their diverse experience to bear to sketch the blueprints for the living city.The book models itself after Jacobs' collaborative approach to city and community building, asking community members and niche specialists to share their knowledge with a broader community, to work together toward a common goal of building the 21st-century city.The resulting collection of original essays expounds and expands Jacobs' ideas on the qualities of a vibrant, robust urban area. It offers the generalist, the activist, and the urban planner practical examples of the benefits of planning that encourages community participation, pedestrianism, diversity, environmental responsibility, and self-sufficiency.Bob Sirman, director of the Canada Council for the Arts, describes how built form should be an embodiment of a community narrative. Daniel Kemmis, former Mayor of Missoula, shares an imagined dialog with Jacobs, discussing the delicate interconnection between cities and their surrounding rural areas. And Roberta Brandes Gratz?urban critic, author, and former head of Public Policy of the New York State Preservation League?asserts the importance of architectural preservation to environmentally sound urban planning practices.What We See asks us all to join the conversation about next steps for shaping socially just, environmentally friendly, and economically prosperous urban communities.

About this title

Review

Given the nature of the topic and variety of perspectives, certain essays are very academic, with long lists of references to match. This is balanced, however, by others that are more digestible and readily accessible by the lay reader - not unlike Jacobs' The Death and Life of Great American Cities.

The ultimate strength of gathering and showcasing such a diverse collection of writings is that everyone is bound to find a number of essays that resonate with them, and at least one that inspires them.

In the end, however, what you'll want to do most is reread Jane's books. . . and that is definitely an achievement that the editors can be proud of.

--Lisa Brideau"re: place Magazine" (07/06/2010)

Jacobs was a wise and inspiring canary in the coalmine to the arrogance and abuse of the Redevelopment Agencies. Is she relevant today? In What We See, twenty-five writers say yes, then advance her observations in the realms of the environment, sustainability and the just metropolis.

--James Tracy"By the Book" (12/13/2011)

"How can one resist cheering on this urban original? As one reads these essays by the thoughtful and dedicated people Jane Jacobs inspired through her writing, her organizing, her telephone calling, her patternspotting, her sidewalk ballets, we see how she and our neighborhoods live on through her ideas."
--Victor S. Navasky, Publisher Emeritus, The Nation, and author, A Matter of Opinion

"Exuberant, stimulating collection of essays on a person who would be a saint or even an angel sent to us to uncover what really helps us to be alive in our communities. There is no better place to start than this book to see the wisdom Jane Jacobs so astutely covered almost 50 years ago. We are at the precipice of a new era and Jane Jacobs and her aficionados can show us what it could look like. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"
--Fred Kent, President, Project for Public Spaces

"What We See is a moving and enlightening tribute to the ideas and methods of Jane Jacobs from a diverse set of authors, many of whom knew and revered Jane. Together the essays offer a portrait of this revolutionary thinker that will inspire others to observe closely, contemplate broadly, and engage civically."
--Glenna Lang, coauthor of Genius of Common Sense

"The Jane Jacobs legacy lives on, in this extraordinary collection of essays. The reflections on this remarkable woman, and the still-unfolding project of city-building today, are a joy to read."
--Anthony Flint, author of Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took on New York's Master Builder and Transformed the American City

It is fruitless, however, to search for some dramatic key element or kingpin which, if made clear, will clarify all. No single element in a city is, in truth, the kingpin or the key. The mixture itself is kingpin, and its mutual support is the order.
-The Death and Life of Great American Cities, 1961.

Often times, volumes or compendiums meant to celebrate the life's work of a single individual fall short of capturing the true spirit of the subject. The problem of capturing the impact that one person has had on a single profession is difficult enough; a task whose difficulty is only compounded when the subject of the compendium has influenced a wide array of professions, movements and causes.

In the wide world of planning - encompassing urban, city and regional planning specialties - Jane Jacobs' name is consistently atop the lists of most influential and inspiring planners. Ironically, Jane wasn't a planner (in the traditional sense of the term). Jane Jacobs was - and still is - much more than simply a planner who helped us to see and, almost more importantly, recognize the wonderful intricacies of the urban organism.

Never one to adhere to conventional labels, she embodied a long list of titles which have been associated with her life and her life's work. Author; Journalist; Activist; Urbanist; Economic Theorist; Community Organizer; and least of all, Planner.

Jane proved again and again through her insightful observations that more often than not, the most successful and vibrant neighborhoods were the exception to the rule; the rule, of course, being the restrictive and often confining dogmatic-based planning rules and regulations which stifle the organic development of neighborhoods and cities.

Just as she showed us nearly fifty years ago that "the mixture itself is kingpin, and its mutual support is the order," What We See holds true to this notion with an impressive and diverse mix of authors whose backgrounds could double for a description of the residents of a thriving, vibrant city neighborhood or as a description of an individual whose life and work seemed to defy conventional labels and descriptions.

What We See is a collection of essays which succeeds in capturing the true spirit of Jane's life and work. The authors do not simply espouse all of the ideas, notions and views which Jane pioneered simply to hear themselves speak; quite the contrary, these essays provide a firsthand demonstration which allows us to see how people from a myriad of professions and backgrounds are taking action to make our cities better places.

The essays, consisting of works ranging from Jacobsian-inspired speeches to stories of self-realization and actualization to imagined conversations with Jane, are masterfully grouped into six distinct, yet connected sections.

From the first moment when the authors begin to discuss The Vitality of the Neighborhood (Section One) to the final thoughts on Economic Instincts (Section Six); the words and - more importantly - the actions of the authors inspire the reader to truly examine and see the urban organism through not only new lenses, but to return to the lenses which allow us to see what we take for granted through "fresh eyes."

As we try and see the city, we are reminded to examine our Virtues of Seeing (Section Two) so that we may observe the urban organism through a variety of lenses; allowing us to truly see how our Cities, Villages and Streets (Section Three) evolve and thrive. It is through these lenses that we are inspired to make our streets, our neighborhoods, our cities and ultimately our society better places.

These lenses also provide us with insight into the tumultuous relationship between restrictive, dogmatic planning policies and the practices, or for lack of a better term, the notions of Serendipitous Planning (Section Four) that allows for the natural and organic development of neighborhoods and cities Designed For Nature and Designed For People (Section Five).

Because in reality, as many of the officials of struggling American metropolises will certainly tell you, a city is useless without people who are active participants in the evolution and development of the living urban organism.

The stories contained within the pages of What We See allow us to not only examine how our cities and neighborhoods are developing and changing, but the actions of the authors provide the reader with the inspiration to begin to make a difference in their own neighborhood, city, region and life. I would challenge anyone to read this book and not feel the burning desire to initiate positive change within their own neighborhood, community or city.

What We See is an excellent companion to any of Jane Jacob's works. The essays within What We See capture Jane's incredible ability to observe and understand the city, neighborhood and region as a functioning and thriving organism in which design, character and people contribute to the overall vibrancy and life of the urban fabric.

The ideals which Jane lived by and conveyed throughout her life's work are fantastically captured in the actions of the authors of What We See. When we observe What We See as a whole, it is clear that it will quickly become a required addition to the library of any designer, planner, artist, activist, community organizer, urbanist or city dweller.

--Michael Ouchakof"enVisionGreen" (05/05/2010)

"In this new book are the testimonials of Jane's children. These folks, in their writing and work, are building on what she began back in the '60s. It's taken a long time, but it's happening."
- David Byrne, musician, artist, and author of Bicycle Diaries

This book, with such a wide range of contributors inspired by the small woman with the large mind, can help us understand our world better, and thus be better at changing it.

--Alex Marshall"Regional Plan Association" (12/07/2010)

When Planetizen conducted a survey last year to identify the top urban thinkers of all time, the Number 1 spot on the list was captured by Jane Jacobs. Whether the choice was correct or not -- the poll's participants were disproportionately Americans -- Jacobs certainly remains an inspiration, four years after her death at age 89.

--Philip Langdon"New Urban News" (08/16/2010)

From the Back Cover

Thirty-five contemporary thinkers offer insight into the workings of vibrant, ecological, equitable communities and their economies.
Advance Praise for "What We See"
"It's as if Jane Jacobs' bright eye hadn't dimmed... In the hands of this book's essay writers, new thoughts sprout, all as true to Jane's spirit and inventive urbanity as the gardens (intellectual and physical) she cultivated in her lifetime."
--Neal Peirce, journalist and Chair, The Citistates Group; author, "Boundary Crossers"
"In this book are the testimonials of 'Jane's children'... building on what she began back in the '60s. It's taken a long time, but it's happening."
--David Byrne, musician, artist and author, "Bicycle Diaries"
"A delicious international and interdisciplinary banquet of offerings to honor the passionate and multifaceted work of our beloved urbanist, Jane Jacobs."
--Wendy Sarkissian, author, "Kitchen Table Sustainability" and "Creative Community Planning"
"How can one resist cheering on this urban original?... We see how Jane Jacobs and our neighborhoods live on through her ideas."
--Victor S. Navasky, Publisher Emeritus, "The Nation," and author, "A Matter of Opinion"
"The reflections on this remarkable woman, and the still-unfolding project of city-building today, are a joy to read."
--Anthony Flint, author, "Wrestling with Moses"
"The essayists in "What We See" have built on those essential footholds that people who have never heard of Jane Jacobs will benefit them for decades."
--Majora Carter, founder, Sustainable South Bronx, and winner, Rachel Carson Award
"A moving and enlightening tribute to the ideas and methods of Jane Jacobs... that will inspire others to observe closely, contemplate broadly, and engage civically."
--Glenna Lang, co-author, "Genius of Common Sense"
"There is no better starting place for re-evaluating tomorrow's complex cities than this book, which is full of the wisdom and insight Jane Jacobs so astutely taught us... Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"
--Fred Kent, President, Project for Public Spaces

Edition details

• Publisher: New Village Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 098155931X
• ISBN 13: 9780981559315
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 353
• Editor: Goldsmith Stephen A., Elizabeth Lynne