Summary Of Chapter 15

In chapter 15 Jacobs basically explains the proper actions that are needed for a slum to become unslummed. She believes a slum is unslummed when the diversity increases and people feel safe walking around in the city. She also, thinks that there must be a decline in population so the buildings aren’t overly crowded. There are 3 factors that make a city into a slum which are dullness, stagnation and racism. When there are new people that arrive to the neighbor and want to leave not long after they’ve arrive, it’s a sign that the vicinity is a slum. The leftover room is taken by poor people and immigrants which makes it inevitable for the place to become overcrowded. The neighborhood appearance itself eventually falls apart therefore giving the city a bad look. All these issues need to be approached in the right manner in order for them to be taken care of. Living nicely would be that much easier if people took care of the place they live in.

Summary Of Chapter 9

In this chapter Jacobs argues that shorter blocks are better overall in comparison to long city blocks. I honestly thought longer blocks would work to our advantage because there's more that'll be avialable in a single city street. But after seeing the numerous reasons Jacobs gave to why shorter blocks would be better, I quickly changed my mind. Her reasoning made complete sense. Since the blocks are shorter it's inevitable for people not to turn corners, therefore forcing them to walk around their community more. There's also a greater possibility to make friends with a neighbor because its less crowded. Crossing the sidewalk becomes more convenient. Businesses will have less competition because they will no longer be grouped together. There's a more likely chance for the community to become stronger and therefore everyone is well acquainted with each other. So it just goes to prove the shorter blocks are simply better than longer blocks.

Before 1950

All the houses on my block were built well before the 1950's and after confirming with the elderly tenants I found out that it was constructed in 1931. There were minor renovations such as different floor tiles and repainted walls but ultimately my building has an older look to it. The reason why I could tell my apartment was made before 1950 is because it's a red brick house and all the houses are attached therefore sharing the same gas line. There's a very visible difference between houses that were recently built compared to the old fashion ones. For example the houses that were built not long ago are made out of frames and also include balconies. The majority of them are semi-attached homes.
I love my house just the way it is, not necessarily because of the appearance but more for the memories that were created. The most memorable moment I had was when I had annoyed my sister and she angrily threw a battery at me. Fortunately I was lucky enough to dodge it. Instead it had hit the wall and the impact of the battery left a small crack. The walls aren't what they use to be and over the years it became more fragile. I also have countless memories on my rooftop, which is a fire exit. This is another indication that my apartment was built long ago because the new houses have special fire exits on their floor. Overall, my building is impeccable the way it is regardless of when it was built.

Summary Of Chapter 7 and 8

In chapters 7 and 8 Jacobs gives the reader her view point about the importance of diversity in communities. She explains that the larger a city is the more diverse it becomes. In order to have maintenance in a city it must consist of small and big businesses of all types to keep balance.
There are places that have primary and secondary uses. These are 2 fundamentals that are crucial to the city and it gives us an idea about how well the city is doing economically. Places that have primary uses are those that lure people to the place on their own for example people’s homes. Secondary places are the one’s that cater to you for that to happen you need to be attracted by primary places like a pharmacy or convenient store where you’re being served. Jacob mentions that there must be a combination of both primary and secondary diversity to motivate people to go to different places at all hours so it never becomes deserted during one part of the day. A busy city which is composed of numerous businesses tends to do better economically rather than quiet vicinities were there isn’t much diversity.

Summary Of Chapter 3

In Chapter 3 Jane Jacobs explains how the sidewalks have an influence in a persons life. In city streets there is an invisible band that brings society together. This doesn’t necessarily mean everyone is acquainted with one another. It may seem that way because you see the same stranger every day on the bus or train. The city brings people together so to a certain extent there’s some type of “togetherness,” but in actuality everyone purposely isolates themselves from the public. Nobody would go out of their way to introduce themselves to a complete stranger. They feel for some bizarre reason everyone will know about their business at the end of the day, if they were to converse with someone they didn’t know. Privacy is probably the most valuable commodity in large cities. Something as small as a window has great advantages because you can choose to seclude yourself from the busy outside city life just by pulling the curtains down. People only engage in conversations with people they trust like the owner of a bodega. Other than that no one will go and acquaint him or herself to any of the people they see every day.

The Sidewalk

In the late 19th century Steinway was commonly known for piano factories. Today, it’s a completely revolutionized neighborhood. In my opinion it’s the most convenient residential vicinity. People all over the city travel to Queens to come to Steinway because of the variety of options of things to do. There’s a wide selection of shopping centers, cafes and restaurants that are walking distances from the bus or train. At night time the streets of Steinway is pleasing to the eye as the 24 hour bodega’s and lampposts aluminate the sky. I live in the 3rd floor of my building where the next flight of stairs leads you the to the roof top. My roof top is the best place to get a great view of my neighborhood. Even at midnight there are pedestrians walking in the streets. It’s just one of those neighborhoods in Queens that never goes to sleep. Of course there are people out all the time because it’s a safe, multi cultural area that’s very exciting to live in and as close to Manhattan. I feel fortunate to have been raised in this environment because I was brought up in a community of wide variety ethnicity. In my apartment alone there are 3 completely different nationalities so inevitable not to pick up a different language while living there for a long period of time. I have nothing negative to say about my neighborhood. I think it’s impeccable just the way it is. If I was a city planner, I’d construct it the same way.

Summary of the introduction

In the introduction of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs expresses her feelings toward city planners. She doesn’t agree on their approach to constructing a city. Jacobs acknowledges the readers that city planners are more concerned about the representation rather than, what will ultimately be beneficial for the residents. For example, in an orthodox city like New York they built a very noticeable rectangular lawn in the housing project of East Harlem. The tenants were outraged by their actions and the misusage of money. Ironically, they saw this situation in a completely different perspective. They thought since there is a nice green lawn everyone is a winner and even lower class people have it all. But once again the city planners came about the problem all wrong. They thought more about the visual appearance of the neighborhood instead of the essential needs of the tenants. Building a pharmacy, mall or grocery store would have been a great addition to the neighborhood and also, would have worked toward their convenience. Unfortunately, cities are becoming slums due to their poor judgements. Jacobs is disappointed because the same methods of construction are being taught to future city planners. She basically gives us her feed back on how things should be done and highlights the numerous flaws that are done when creating the city.

The Forgotten City

This website of images is quite interesting for numerous reasons. From the pictures shown, it’s very obvious that the buildings and lampposts were made back in the day by the construction of the design. The purpose of this page is a reminder of how New York City should still be like. The authenticity of New York is rapidly diminishing because of society. There are so many changes being made to fit our lifestyles that many are forgetting about the past. You get the impressions that there are certain things such as the lamppost and churches that they’re trying to hang on to so everything doesn’t become entirely modernized. It’s understandable that they’re trying to leave some things old fashion but, I don’t agree with it. We live in a new generation. It’s inevitable that modifications are going to be done. I like to think of it as out with the old and in with the new. The ways of lifestyles are constantly altering so there’ll be changes made with it.
The image that caught my attention was the old model version of a lamppost. Today, lampposts are built with a different kind of material compared to the ones manufactured in the past. It’s designed to be more durable enabling it to withstand most catastrophic weather conditions. The modern lampposts are beneficial in a couple ways. Not only is it safer to the surrounding environment but also, saves the economy thousands of dollars to make repairs. Therefore, there aren’t any excuses to save any deteriorating type artifacts. There’s a reason why it isn’t created in that form anymore.
People have to learn how to let go and accept change. In this case change its simply for the better. They just have to cope with the fact that nothing in this world remains unaltered forever. Change is a part of life. For the people that are unwilling to let go of the past can only cherish the memories that they once had. That might be difficult for them to do but unfortunately in their situation it’s the only thing they can do.