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Jane Jacobs

Jane Jacobs Quotes

Journalist

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Famous Jane Jacobs Quotes

“Reformers have long observed city people loitering on busy corners, hanging around in candy stores and bars and drinking soda popon stoops, and have passed a judgment, the gist of which is: "This is deplorable! If these people had decent homes and a more private or bosky outdoor place, they wouldn't be on the street!" That judgment represents a profound misunderstanding of cities. It makes no more sense than to drop in at a testimonial banquet in a hotel and conclude that if these people had wives who could cook, they would give their parties at home.”

PeopleIfsGivingLongHomePartyCitiesWifeStreetsJudgmentDrinkingProfoundBusyCornersStoresBarsCooksDecentHotelCandyMisunderstandingCity LifeReformersStoopsSodaBanquetsHanging AroundStreet LifeGistTestimonialCandy Stores
Book:The Death and Life of Great American Cities
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“Cities need old buildings so badly it is probably impossible for vigorous streets and districts to grow without them.... for really new ideas of any kind--no matter how ultimately profitable or otherwise successful some of them might prove to be--there is no leeway for such chancy trial, error and experimentation in the high-overhead economy of new construction. Old ideas can sometimes use new buildings. New ideas must use old buildings.”

NeedsKindIdeasSometimesMatterUseMightGrowsBusinessCitiesEconomySuccessfulImpossibleStreetsBuildingProveErrorsTrialsConstructionNew IdeasProfitableVigorousExperimentationOverheadOld IdeasOld Buildings
Author:Jane Jacobs
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“The more successfully a city mingles everyday diversity of uses and users in its everyday streets, the more successfully, casually (and economically) its people thereby enliven and support well-located parks that can thus give back grace and delight to their neighborhoods instead of vacuity.”

PeopleGivingWellsUseCitiesSupportGraceStreetsDiversityEverydayDelightParksNeighborhoodUsersGiving BackVacuity
Book:The Death and Life of Great American Cities
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