Great American Cities Summary

By writing The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs is trying to get people, more so city planners, to change the way that think cities should be built. She shows us how that the City planners don’t completely understand the people that are going to be living in the areas that are being built. The city planners need to think more about what the residents need than about what the neighborhood will physically look like. She wants us to understand that it is not about how much money you spend on the project that is the final word in the success of the project, but rather how the entire community can work for its residents. Meaning not putting in upscale shopping centers where the residents of the neighborhood will not be able to afford what the stores sell. They should put in a more practical shopping center with a grocery store and a pharmacy. A successful city is that which is being supported from both ends, that way the relationships between residents and city planners is a good one.