I read jane jacobs seminal 1961 the death and life of great american cities because i wanted to learn more about the way urban spaces worked. Robert moses and jane jacobs are the subject and the author of two of the most indelible nonfiction books of the 20th century. Ive spent a lot of time on this block researching a book ive written about jane jacobs and robert moses. At the gotham forum at cuny graduate center, as throughout the city, jacobs is generally praised and moses.
Jane jacobs, robert moses, and the battle over lomex curbed. I n 1961, bennett cerf, one of the founders of the publishing firm random house, sent a copy of a new book by jane jacobs, the death and life of american cities, to the legendary city planner robert moses. Edward norton conjures robert moses s new york how the director of motherless brooklyn recreated the nineteenfifties for alec baldwin and a building under the triborough bridge. The first edition of the novel was published in 1961, and was written by jane jacobs. Robert moses and the fall of new york is a thick, unwieldy book at 44 pages. Jane jacobs oc oont was an americancanadian journalist, author, and activist best known for her influence on urban studies. This book just touches on his accomplishments and faults. Jane jacobs v robert moses, battle of new yorks urban titans. On the two most towering figures in 20th century american urbanism, arch rivals robert moses and jane jacobs, plenty of words have been written.
Robert moses, to put a roadway through washington square park, where she took her children. Moses, who grabbed immense power in a decadeslong career, had already remade much of new york city, building bridges and new highways and tearing down vibrant neighborhoods he saw as. The battle of jane jacobs and bob moses for the streets of. Jacobs book was the most powerful retort to mosess mode of thinking, and her actions a resounding retort to his mode of operating. After going on several walking tours in nyc where reference was made to jane jacobs, i knew i had to learn more about her. The book is jacobs bestknown and most influential work. How jane jacobs took on new yorks master builder and transformed the american city by cynthia chaldekas, midmanhattan library at 42nd street march 16, 2010 robert a caros tome the power broker. And, threaded into that public history, its an account of author roberta gratzs own life in new york. From the american masters episode on jane jacobs, titled. Jane jacobs and the book that inspired a revolution.
New york in the shadow of robert moses and jane jacobs. It is extremely well researched and much more substantial than the biography of jane jacobs. Stuyvesant town, queens west and the debate over jane. How jane jacobs took on new yorks master builder and transformed the american city. Bldzr is a rock musical about robert moses and jane jacobs. The main characters of this non fiction, architecture story are. I went into 555 hudson street and took some pictures out the second floor window. Ny assemblyman wants to delete robert moses from park name. The death and life of great american cities is a 1961 book by writer and activist jane jacobs. A marvelous order is a forthcoming multimedia opera about the battle between robert moses, the master builder, and jane jacobs, the selftaught oracle of unparalleled urban insight, over the fate of new york city. I assumed without question that, at over 1,300 pages, the iconic and devastating biography of city planner robert moses jacobs most famous. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the battle for gotham.
Ostensibly at least to judge from the title a portrait of jacobs, whose 1961 book the death and life of great american cities galvanized a generation of. Edward norton conjures robert mosess new york the new. How jane jacobs beat robert moses to be the ultimate. Robert moses and jane jacobs are the subjects of a marvelous order, an opera that appeared in excerpt at the river to river festival. Jane had never come into contact with moses personally before. Glenna lang says both jane jacobs and robert moses were there. There have been books and even an opera about the struggles between renowned and later notorious city planner robert moses and the activist and author jane jacobs in the 1950s and 1960s. It is ironic that immediately following the book s release robert moses was at the forefront of the project that would put a highway right through the middle of it, sacrificing jacob s own home. In her book the death and life of great american cities. Battle for the city, a rousing documentary about journalistactivist jane jacobs and her fight in the 1960s against robert moses, new yorks tsar.
Updated august 5, 2009 by douglas martin jane jacobs, the hugely influential writer and social critic, died april 25, 2006, at age 89. After clashing with robert moses over the future of washington square and the slum designation of the west village, jane jacobs had one final new york city fight in. Jacobs, who has been the subject of several recent books timed to the centennial of her 1916 birth, gained fame in urbanplanning circles with her thencontroversial 1961 book. Filling in the blanks of jane jacobs missing chapter. Will rawls was waiting in the lorimer street subway station one recent sunday, trying to get to a rehearsal in chelsearawls is the choreographer for a new opera about robert moses, the. As per the films subtitle, a large chunk of citizen jane concerns the highprofile contest of wills between her and the imperious robert moses, new york citys powerful cityplanning czar. Jane jacobs and robert moses, in song the new yorker. Robert moses december 18, 1888 july 29, 1981 was an american public official who worked mainly in the new york metropolitan area. Robert moses who were interested in making the car the mode of transportation through manhattan. But it is less accurate to call this effect influence than to see it as corroboration and collaboration. The book also introduced sociology concepts such as eyes on the street and social capital. The book is a critique of 1950s urban planning policy, which it holds responsible for the decline of many city neighborhoods in the united states. Her book the death and life of great american cities argued that urban renewalslum clearance did not respect the needs of citydwellers.
When moses plans to demolish jacobs home and neighborhood, jacobs leads a revolt, igniting a conflict that continues to shape built. Idaho, described this as an attempt to achieve jane jacobs goals through robert moses tactics. Documentary examines how jane jacobs defeated robert moses. Citylab caught up with him recently to discuss citizen jane and what. The battle is between urban planner robert moses and urban advocate jane jacobs. How jane jacobs took on new yorks master builder and transformed the american city random house 2009. His decline in the late 1960s and the drying up of big government funding for urban renewal projects allowed new york to organically regenerate according to the precepts defined by jane jacobs in her classic, the death and life of great american cities, and in contradiction to moses s urban philosophy. Gratz was a city reporter for a couple of decades and since then has been an advocate for jane jacobs type development. Robert moses, new yorks master builder, has been in residence as a. Jane jacobs and the book that inspired a revolution grist. Sanford ikeda on jane jacobs view of progress and poverty abridged version in her book economy of cities, jane jacobs makes the claim that poverty has no causes. Certainly, its about the battles of two titans of the field.
Her influential book the death and life of great american cities argued that urban renewal did not respect the needs of most citydwellers. She was the mother and determined journalist with owlish glasses. The battle for gotham is part memoir, part urban policy study specifically in ny. Moses in his earlier days was known as an enlightened master builder. A closer look at both stuyvesant town and queens west suggests the complications in using the usual arguments in the debate over jane jacobs and robert moses. The final showdown over the proposal happened in 1958.
Her book the death and life of great american cities 1961 argued that urban renewalslum clearance did not respect the needs of citydwellers jacobs organized grassroots efforts to protect neighborhoods from. How jane jacobs took on new yorks master builder and transformed the american city random house seems to be about urban planning. How we saw our cities anew jane jacobs, a writer and activist with no formal urban planning training, changed the way. The battle for gotham this book is about robert moses and jane jacobs and their storied clashes, but its also about how those conflicts defined the city. New york in the shadow of robert moses and jane jacobs kindle edition by gratz, roberta brandes. This book turned out to be helpful ammunition against such experts.
Robert caro s biography of moses, the power broker 1974 and. Pdf the death and life of great american cities book by. J ane jacobs is often portrayed as an almost mythic figure, locked with robert moses in an epic battle for the future of new york. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 472 pages and is available in hardcover format. Jane jacobs victories against robert moses saved a city. Robert moses redefined the new york city area in the 20th century creating most of the parkways, bridges, parks, etc in the metro area. Jacobs organized grassroots efforts to protect neighborhoods from urban renewalslum clearance, in particular robert moses. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Jane jacobs american masters documentary from the american masters episode on jane jacobs, titled.
Matt tyrnauers documentary citizen jane the battle for the city tells how writeractivist jane jacobs foiled urban planner robert moses desires to bury much of lower manhattan under roads. How jane jacobs fought to save new york the daily beast. Bldzr is a rock musical about robert moses and jane jacobs, and its supremely entertaining by michelle young. The battle in how the urban form of new york city in particular was shaped in the midtwentieth century is presented, the two leading figures on the opposing sides of the battle being robert moses, who held many senior positions related to development of urban infrastructure, and manhattan resident and journalist jane jacobs, author of the death and life of great american cities. This short book details the protests inspired and led by jane jacobs against various projects spearheaded by robert moses in new yorks greenwich village in the 1950s and 60s. Jane jacobs way comes to the village the new york times. It is extremely well researched and much more substantial than the biography of jane jacobs by alice alexiou. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Jacobs was a critic of rationalist planners of the 1950s and 1960s, especially robert moses, as. The legacies of robert moses and jane jacobs face off in a new graphic novel. A new documentary leaves jane jacobs trapped in the rubble. Robert moses and jane jacobs kind of circled around each other like tigers in a cage, says anthony flint, a fellow at the lincoln institute of land policy and author of wrestling with moses. Jane jacobs victories against robert moses saved a city and also empowered women by roberta brandes gratz march 14, 2018 november 7, 2019. Jacobs book was the most powerful retort to moses s mode of thinking, and her actions a resounding.
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