Summary of Jane Jacobs's The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 Sidewalks and streets in cities serve many purposes besides carrying vehicles, and city sidewalks serve many purposes besides carrying pedestrians. These uses are bound up with circulation, but are not identical with it. #2 The public peace of cities is not kept primarily by the police. It is kept primarily by an intricate network of voluntary controls and standards among the people themselves, and enforced by the people themselves. #3 The problem of insecurity cannot be solved by spreading people out more thinly. The truth is that, being a city, Los Angeles is composed of strangers who are not all nice. thinning out a city does not make it safer from crime and fear of crime. #4 Within the same city, there are drastic differences in public safety. A well-used city street is safe, while a deserted city street is not. The reason is that a well-used city street is full of people, while a deserted city street is not.