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.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
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.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello