Architecture critic Christopher Hume writes an homage to urban planning icon Jane Jacobs, highlighting the resiliency of her positions on density and diversity.
Jacobs' influence on her adopted hometown of Toronto live on, as do many of the issues she so vehemently advocated against. Christopher Hume of the Toronto Star says her principles of diversity and density are applied when convenient, shunned when not. Her impact remains, but so does the anti-urban bias:
"Death and Life gave shape and form to the idea of the city. It has helped generations understand how the ordinary comings and goings are signs of a healthy city."
"Yet outside the core we continue to practise what the late Metro boss Fred Gardiner once called 'multiplication by subdivision.' For the many who view the city as a Dickensian hell - dirty, dangerous and diseased - fleeing to the 'burbs is as inevitable as marriage and parenthood."
FULL STORY: Death and Life still lives, even in Ford Nation

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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