Jane's Convictions

Writing in the Journal of Libertarian Studies, Pierre Desrochers reviews Alice Alexiou's recent biography of the urban theorist Jane Jacobs [pdf]. Not just an assessment of Alexiou's efforts, the essay is a sympathetic if sometimes critical assessment of Jacobs' thought.

Elsewhere in Reason: An appreciation of Jacobs. An interview with Jacobs. An obit for Jacobs.

Comments

[SxCx]

It’s funny to read praise for Jane Jacobs in these parts, as Toronto’s alt-weeklies seem to consider her a socialist icon.

[e]

SxCx, it is surprising, because she believes the public realm (parks, sidewalks, town squares) is something to be protected, not privatized. Also she believes that people should be able to live a normal human life without owning a car, which I am sure is a ridiculous notion for many in these parts.

[ed]

people should be able to live a normal human life without owning a car

“Should be”? How so?

[e]

ed, her ideas, (as well as I understand them without having read any of her books), are descriptive – observations about how cities function and change over time, but also, normative – thoughts about how human environments *should* be arranged, that is, how humans should live on the earth and with one another.

[jkp]

So…this is a blog link to a review of a third person telling someone else’s life story…?

[SxCx]

Frankly I think the alt-weeklies are kidding themselves, considering Jacobs’ main target was central planning. It’s only funny to read about her here because for a long time, I only heard about her through rags like Now and Eye.

[SugarFree]

Well, as least she’s finally done with Sergio. He treated her like a ragdoll, I hear.

[Rhywun]

From one of the links:

while it contains much interesting material, it shows little appreciation of Jacobs’ Canadian background

Which isn’t surprising, because her background was American.

Toronto’s alt-weeklies seem to consider her a socialist icon.

Yeah, her views don’t necessarily fit into the traditional categories, do they.

[Reilly]

“Also she believes that people should be able to live a normal human life without owning a car, which I am sure is a ridiculous notion for many in these parts.”

Oh yes. I love the transit-and-cities-are-evil libertarians, who can’t envision private transit (think Japan) and hardly ever find anything wrong with urban planning when it forces low density and building height.

[Douglas Fletcher]

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with public transit, as long as nobody else gets on my bus.