With a new edition of The Death and Life of Great American Cities releasing this week, Sam Lewis looks at a handful of "planebrities" to see how they would measure up for Ms. Jacobs.
Sam thinks Jane Jacobs would have a mixed reaction to Ms. Sadik-Khan's record:
"Her accomplishments are impressive (read what New York Times‘ columnist Frank Bruni has to say) and like Jacobs, she's committed to a walkable city. Jacobs herself might even have joined Sadik-Khan for a bicycle ride if she were here today. But it may have been a quick cruise - even Mayor Michael Bloomberg nudged the commissioner to solicit more input from residents (a key tenet of Jacobs' vision) and to tone down her aggressive approach to implementing projects."
Sam looks at other New York urbanists through the Jane Jacobs lens, including Amanda Burden and Daniel Goldstein (the activist who fought the Atlantic Yards Project).
Read the full story: What Would Jane Jacobs Say?
NYC 'bicycle visionary' Janette Sadik-Khan returns to public service with appointment to MTA board
The former DOT commissioner is known for her efforts to make NYC streets safe for people biking and walking.
Sadik-Khan: NYC Congestion Pricing Program Potentially ‘Transformative’—If Done Right
The former transportation commissioner says the city must ensure the program isn’t “all stick and no carrot to succeed.
An Expanded Approach to the Analysis of Cities
Even with so much data in the world, cities are a slippery subject. What if an everyday part of life in cities—the "scenes" comprised by businesses, people, and practices of similarly distinct aesthetics—can help our understanding?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority