The Uses of Sidewalks: Safety and Contact
Cities are generators of economic life and source of changes in the world. Thereby, Jane Jacobs in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities puts into relief the role of cities on the social and economic levels, while denouncing the disastrous consequences of urban renewal programs. To that extent, in chapters 2 and 3, she discusses "The Uses of Sidewalks”, arguing that over all people need safety and trust in their city. Therefore, first she claims the necessity of keeping streets and sidewalks safe because they are the “vital organs” of cities (29). Secondly, she argues that the functioning of cities should be organized in order to foster human interaction in which “casual public
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In addition, she extends the idea of eyes upon the street showing that using and watching the street not only guarantees the safety, but it makes the street more attractive. She argues: “the sight of people attracts still other people” (37). Here, she points out the fact that people like watching other people and activities around them. Nobody likes places where there is nothing to see or to do. Interesting streets are attractive because we see different people, and different activities or businesses. In short, the more a street is frequented, the more it is secure and interesting and vice-versa. Safe streets and sidewalks contribute to the economic expansion of the city and the social fulfillment of people. Then we can conclude that safety is a one of primordial factor to the social and economic development of the city.
Approaching in the same direction of the importance of safety, Jacobs also discusses the theme of confidence in the streets, which is trust. She mentions the concept of “sidewalks casual public trust.” First, trust may evolve from human contact and interaction in public. Jacobs explains human interaction in these words:
Cities are full of people with whom, from your viewpoint, or mine, or any other individual’s, a certain degree of contact is useful or enjoyable; but you do not want them in your hair. And they do not want you in theirs either. (56) From interaction with fellows in public spaces people are inclined to trust everyone
Anderson argues that common rhythms of societal response can be identified in similar public spaces. It is clear that the way individuals behave in noisy environments where they are constantly avoiding interaction with objects and bodies differs from convivial mingling. Alternatively, Anderson claims that places that exhibit similar patterns of vitality, usage, and organization have similar social traits (Anderson 67). To illustrate this, relatively busy and safe spaces open any frenzy is given slight regulation regardless of whether these spaces are libraries, museums, retail centers, squares, or parks. It appears that these places are marked by the ethos of researched trust in the situation. Mechanisms are used to negotiate bodies and space in these environments. These mechanisms appear to render the familiar strange and the strange familiar. Transactions are carried out in a safe and efficient manner: threat resulting from anticipation of violence, anxiety, and fear is always avoided. The participants have appreciated the benefits consciously and tactful in public places. Social experiences in public places domesticate diversity and complexities in urban places (Burfeind 18).
Harriet Jocobs was born into slavery in Edenton, North Carolina 1813. Her parents were Delilah and Elijah Jacobs, was slaves who lived together. In Edenton she worked as a caterer she was also highly respected by the black and whites. Delilah and Elijah both died when Harriet and her brother John were young. After the death of her mother in 1819, Harriet went to live with Margaret Horniblow. After Margaret Horniblow’s death, She became the property of her young niece the daughter of Dr. James Norcom. He was also the owner of Molly when her mistress died but he decided to put her in the auction. That was considered wrong but an elderly white woman bought her and emancipated her. Molly bought A house of her own her son Joseph, escaped And disappeared,
(Dorsey & Mulder, 2013) It increases “eyes on the streets” which sociologist, Jane Jacobs, believes is essential when re-thinking city spaces as they allow people to take care of each other. This BIA has a fair amount of people walking around tending to their everyday business. Because it is located near residential areas, it is not unusual to see small families exploring the BIA or people walking around at night which increases the efforts alongside vehicle traffic to lower the chances of something wrong, such as a crime, from occurring in the
Welcome to Genezon, a city of 650-thousand people located in northwest Italy. We have created a city that not only maximizes safety and provides almost endless amounts of resources, but also a city that keeps in mind the happiness of the everyday citizen. Public space provides a plethora of benefits if used correctly, however, in the increasingly digital society, precise utilization will be key to success. Now in 2138, we have not only developed Genezon to be an independent, safe, and technologically advanced metropolis but also a culture-, society- and person-orientated public space experience.
South Street Philadelphia’s sidewalk’s safety is not determined by the strangers shuffling in and out of the area, but instead by the local residents and community members who live there. Based on my personal observations, the biggest asset to South Street in regard to safety and overall quality of the area are the locals who reside there. This idea of community investment relating to the safety of a street is presented in Jane Jacob’s novel The Death and Life of Great American Cities and is one of her ideas that is accurately displayed throughout South Street. By examining the various ways people interact in different areas and shops on South Street, I was able to evaluate what aspects of her writing proved to be beneficial to the overall safety of the area.
The Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), the nation's largest not-for-profit organization supporting Hispanic American higher education. With honor awarding Alumni Izabella Anguiano Jacobs with a monument in the HSf hall of fame. Celebrating her work for her contribution to hsf as well as her mark in the animation industry.
Jane Jacobs was born Jane Butzner in 1916, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, 120 miles northwest from New York, to a Protestant family. Her mother was a trained teacher working as a nurse and her father a physician. Jacobs often mentioned the influence of her parents who encouraged her self-confidence and autonomy; particularly the importance of her father, John Butzner, who stimulated his children to think independently and not to be shy of their thoughts, however original they were.
Throughout the text “Solitary Stroller and the City,” author Rebecca Solnit explores the complex relationships between the walking individual and living in the city. The title brings together three central ideas; walking, the city, and solitariness as an individual.. These three central ideas are tied together and used to reveal deeper meanings and relationships within the text. When analyzing Solnit’s work, the reader is left to identify a complex relationship between the central ideas and how the geography of a city influences all the three of the central ideas. Solnit makes claims throughout the text that are strongly suggestive of a relationship between the ability to walk and its derivability based on the “when” and “where” concepts. The geography and or location can be explored through the comparison of rural walking versus urban walking, the comparison between the cities of London and New York, and the solitariness associated with the geography and structure in one city versus another. Spanning the entire text is the idea that the city influences the walker and their individualism among the crowd, or their perception of solitude. Solnit compares London walkers and New York walkers, exploring how their different geographical locations define their city as a whole as well as the individual. Geography plays a crucial role in one 's idea of solitude and individualism.
Jane Addams was a Victorian woman born into a male-dominated society on September 6, 1860 in Cedarville, Illinois. Her father was a wealthy landowner and an Illinois senator who did not object to his daughter’s choice to further her education, but who wanted her to have a traditional life. For years after his death, Addams tried to reconcile the family role she was expected to play with her need to achieve personal fulfillment.
In the essay “ Learning Responsibility on City Sidewalks”, the author Jane Jacobs shows us that it is important to let children interact with city sidewalks because they can learn lots of things there. On the other hand, the author also argues that it is necessary to select appropriate public areas because not all the public areas can give children advantage lessons. Based on author’s observations, some parents will allow their children play in parks so they are convenient to take care of children and save money for hiring daycare. However, it is not useful for children to learn in this environment. For example, children will not learn independent under parent’s supervision. Combing all the factors,
An American pragmatist and feminist, Hull-House founder Jane Addams (1860-1935) came of age in time of increasing tensions and division between segments of the American society, a division that was reflected in debates about educational reform. In the midst of this diversity, Addams saw the profoundly interdependent nature of all social and political interaction, and she aligned her efforts to support, emphasize and increase this interdependence. Education was one of the ways she relied on to overcome class disparity, as well as to increase interaction between classes. Her theories about the interdependent nature of living in a democracy provided a backdrop for her educational theory. Education, she thought, needed to produce people who
An American pragmatist and feminist, Hull-House founder Jane Addams (1860-1935) came of age in time of increasing tensions and division between segments of the American society, a division that was reflected in debates about educational reform. In the midst of this diversity, Addams saw the profoundly interdependent nature of all social and political interaction, and she aligned her efforts to support, emphasize and increase this interdependence. Education was one of the ways she relied on to overcome class disparity, as well as to increase interaction between classes. Her theories about the interdependent nature of living in a democracy provided a backdrop for her educational theory. Education, she thought, needed to produce people who
ability and pedestrian friendly streets in Los Angeles. James Rojas makes the case that any
Life in the city is often chaotic and fast-paced. It is as quick as a television dinner. Often, people are forgetting the art of appreciation. Things go unnoticed like a pebble under a shoe, like sparkling windows on corporate buildings. Now, people are typically giving more time to their technological devices- which is not necessarily a terrible thing. If anything, it speaks more of an imbalance. There is a wider disconnect in every day social interactions (communications) and public spaces (location). It has been noted by a creator of public spaces, Goldberger, that people are “there but not there”. They have closed themselves off from experiencing what is right in front of them. For example, the average adult spends seven hours on a technological
The need of short blocks is described with the example of Manhattan, where the use of long blocks segregate walking citizens and isolate people socially as well as economically. She argues that frequent streets and short blocks are more valuable since they provide cross-use of the streets. Most shops are dependant on people passing by each day, and short blocks could control the passings and create a diverse and balanced income for them.