The Death and Life of Great American Cities

The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Regular price £20.00 Sale

We're big fans of Jane Jacobs at Rare Mags and strongly believe a copy of this book should be owned by every member of the local council, town planners and infrastructure gurus, and you too. 

"Throughout the post-war period, planners temperamentally unsympathetic to cities have been let loose on our urban environment. Inspired by the ideals of the Garden City or Le Corbusier's Radiant City, they have dreamt up ambitious projects based on self-contained neighbourhoods, super-blocks, rigid 'scientific' plans and endless acres of grass. Yet they seldom stop to look at what actually works on the ground.

The real vitality of cities, argues Jacobs, lies in their diversity, architectural variety, teeming street life and human scale. It is only when we appreciate such fundamental realities that we can hope to create cities that are safe, interesting and economically viable, as well as places that people want to live in."