Today in 1916, Jane (Butzner) Jacobs was born. The well-known urbanist died in 2006.
“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”
– Jane Jacobs, urban writer and activist
On May 4, 2016, Google dedicated its Doodles to Mrs. Jacobs.
I know many urban planners are celebrating this pioneer in journalism and activism for her influence on urban studies and thought.
However, no celebration of a human is without conflict, Jacobs was sometimes accused of inattention to racial inequality, and her concept of “unslumming” has been compared with gentrification.
Dr. Tony G. Reames 