|
|
Jane Jacobs
The death and life of great American cities.
|
|
|
|
|
Great Cities
Among the most admirable and enjoyable sights to be found along the sidewalks of big cities are the ingenious adaptions of old quarters to new uses. The town-house parlor that becomes a craftsman's showroom, the stable that becomes a house, the basement that becomes an immigrants' club, the garage or brewery that becomes a theater, the beauty parlor that becomes the ground floor of a duplex, the warehouse that becomes a factory for Chinese food, the dancing school that becomes a pamphlet printer's, the cobbler's that becomes a church with lovingly painted windows-the stained glass of the poor, the butcher shop that becomes a restaurant: these are the kinds of minor changes occurring where city districts have vitality and are responsive to human needs.
Interessante recensies:
New York Times: Neighbors Are Needed by Lloyd Rodwin (1961)
Big cities she says, are full of strangers. Citizens and strangers alike must enjoy security on city streets. This security, she insists, will never come just from a vigilant police force. It requires an intricate social system, which automatically achieves this effect. You get it from "public actors," from habitual street watchers, such as storekeepers, doormen and interested neighbors, and from more or less constant use at different hours, which is possible only if there is a rich mixture of activities in buildings of varying age and character.
Voorwoord bij de moderne uitgave (1992)
When I began work on this book in 1958, I expected merely to describe the civilizing and enjoyable services that good city street life casually provides-and to deplore planning fads and architectural fashions that were expunging these necessities and charms instead of helping to strengthen them. Some of Part One of this book: that's all I intended.
NRC Handelsblad: Bernard Hulsman (1998)
Jacobs laat zien dat een wijk niet lijdt onder de vermenging van functies als wonen, werken, recreëren, winkelen, maar er juist baat bij heeft. Ook moeten verschillende bevolkingsgroepen bij voorkeur worden gemengd: sociale woningen moeten niet in afzonderlijke wijken worden ondergebracht, maar met de rest van de stad worden verweven.
|
|