加载中…The death and life of great American cities
(2009-02-07 05:16:13)
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杂谈 |
This is the first thick non-fiction book I’ve ever finished reading
in English. Also the first theory book on city planning. I am glad
that I have spent time to read this book and it brought me back to
the field of thinking, and thinking. Though, my golfing is getting
worse.
Back to the topic: without browsed the book again. I think the main idea Jane Jacobs wanted to make is simple: bring back the vivid city life like that in Europe back to the US. She discussed city aspects like the streets, the blocks, the neighborhoods in a totally different view as city planning professionals, whoever were designers or administrative.
She many times attacked Le Corbusier's Radiant City planning. Here is something amazing. Maybe as a woman, her observations are very subtle. Down to the street level, she understands the city, as life, not jungle of concrete and bricks.
Before the memory vanished, here are the structure of the book. Part one: the peculiar nature of cities Part two: the conditions for city diversity Part three: forces of decline and regeneration Part four: different tactics The first two parts, are most valuable.
This book was published around half century ago. But here observations and analysis prevail. Human beings, with a short history up to today, though we massively use automobiles and electronics and so on, our city life, the move vivid part and touching part, are the same as 2000 years ago, or maybe even 5000 years ago. That is, for example, buying in market, eye-candy of attractive women, socializing in bars, restaurants, theaters, and so on... People of nowadays are too naive as to regard ourselves to super our ancestors. My point is we are actually worse and worse, generations by generations. (When you take away the war periods and the famine and so on.)
Some usefulness of the book to me: Streets, in retail and residence selection, some factors can help me find the so called: location, location, location. The way to analyze city, neighborhoods in a different view. As one thing sure, can not analyze a city base on the map, you have to be there, smell it.
City itself, without reading to the last chapter, my understanding is exact the same as Jane Jacobs, that is, city is not just combination of buildings, city is a complexity of people, building and everything. City is organic and a create, a create itself grow, mature, die, regenerate and so on...
City planning, is just a joke, the more we plan, the worse, as the power goes to the wrong hands, the worst. Think about Beijing. Think about Los Angeles. City is a process. Not an end. It changes every minute.
Back to the topic: without browsed the book again. I think the main idea Jane Jacobs wanted to make is simple: bring back the vivid city life like that in Europe back to the US. She discussed city aspects like the streets, the blocks, the neighborhoods in a totally different view as city planning professionals, whoever were designers or administrative.
She many times attacked Le Corbusier's Radiant City planning. Here is something amazing. Maybe as a woman, her observations are very subtle. Down to the street level, she understands the city, as life, not jungle of concrete and bricks.
Before the memory vanished, here are the structure of the book. Part one: the peculiar nature of cities Part two: the conditions for city diversity Part three: forces of decline and regeneration Part four: different tactics The first two parts, are most valuable.
This book was published around half century ago. But here observations and analysis prevail. Human beings, with a short history up to today, though we massively use automobiles and electronics and so on, our city life, the move vivid part and touching part, are the same as 2000 years ago, or maybe even 5000 years ago. That is, for example, buying in market, eye-candy of attractive women, socializing in bars, restaurants, theaters, and so on... People of nowadays are too naive as to regard ourselves to super our ancestors. My point is we are actually worse and worse, generations by generations. (When you take away the war periods and the famine and so on.)
Some usefulness of the book to me: Streets, in retail and residence selection, some factors can help me find the so called: location, location, location. The way to analyze city, neighborhoods in a different view. As one thing sure, can not analyze a city base on the map, you have to be there, smell it.
City itself, without reading to the last chapter, my understanding is exact the same as Jane Jacobs, that is, city is not just combination of buildings, city is a complexity of people, building and everything. City is organic and a create, a create itself grow, mature, die, regenerate and so on...
City planning, is just a joke, the more we plan, the worse, as the power goes to the wrong hands, the worst. Think about Beijing. Think about Los Angeles. City is a process. Not an end. It changes every minute.
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