Gentrification and the Death and Life of American Cities
Time: 7pm Place: Rm. 1420, Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings St. Cost: Free, register
No figure has had more of an impact on American and Canadian cities in the 20th century than Jane Jacobs. In an era where city planners advocated massive urban renewal projects, Jacobs’ seminal 1961 text “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” championed the rehabilitation of dense, walkable, historic neighborhoods like her Greenwich Village. But was she simply describing an early form of “gentrification”?
Today, ironically many Jacobsian neighborhoods like Brooklyn’s Park Slope, Vancouver’s Kitsilano, and even Greenwich Village itself are high-income enclaves with wildly expensive renovated homes. This talk will discuss the legacy of Jane Jacobs in the gentrifying city. Was Jacobs a ‘gentrifier’? Does it matter?
Jane Jacobs was a gentrifier. She wanted neighbourhoods to naturally grow through neighbourhood and residents rather than have a cataclysmic development or big bank move in.
The problem was that the supply of good neighbourhoods could never reach people’s demand. The only way to fix this is to increase supply: Build more neighbourhoods that are vibrant! Jane Jacob’s model must be applied in as many cities as possible or else it will become a burden.