Townsend Harris High School

Samantha Jaloza

Social Science Research

Period 7
Annotated Bibliography

Primary Sources

Bennet, Charles. City Gives up Plan for West Village. The New York Times 1 February
1962. Print.
This newspaper article explains the City Planning Commission abandonment of plans to
complete an urban renewal of the West Greenwich Village. Over one hundred residents of
the Village attended the meeting that caused the city to cancel their plans, and they were
led by Jane Jacobs. This source was extremely useful, especially because it shows Jane
Jacobs leadership abilities. The article described how she was able to rally a group of
people and was able to change the citys plan through a unanimous vote.
Burnham, Alexander. 'Village' Group Designs Housing To Preserve Character of Area.
The New York Times 6 May 1963. Print.
This newspaper article details the West Village Committee (WVC) and the work they did
to create a new housing plan after they shut down the City Planning Commissions plan
in 1962. Jane Jacobs was the leader of the WVC, and their plan would lower the costs of
fixing the Village drastically and would create 475 new homes for residents. Jane Jacobs
said about this plan that she had the same role as everyone, although most of the ideas
came from her previous works. This source helped because it shows a real life application
of Jane Jacobs ideas and also demonstrates her leadership abilities.
"Community Housing Bravo." Gramercy Herald [New York City] 26 July 1974. Print.

This article discusses the success of the West Village Committee in opening a housing
project in the Village. The committee was able to design these buildings without
displacing a single family or business, which was Jane Jacobs goal. The author explained
the hope that this could be repeated all around the city, and that the West Village
Committee set an example for many other people. This is useful because it displays the
success of a committee that Jane Jacobs led, and also shows how she inspired other
committees to follow in her footsteps.
Jacobs, Jane. Interview by Letitia Kent. GVSHP. Greenwich Village Society for Historic
Preservation, October 1997. Web.
This interview was extremely important for my project. It explained Jane Jacobs life
from beginning to end in a first person point of view. Some of the most important events
it talked about were the fight to save Washington Square Park, the Joint Committee to
Stop the Lower Manhattan Expressway, and the West Village Committee. Jacobs
displayed great leadership in all of these cases. This interview was so important and I
used it as the basis of a whole section of my performance because it allowed me to show
Jacobs in a different time period, specifically in 1997. This gave me insight into how
Jacobs looked back on her own life and how she felt about all the different things that she
has accomplished.
Jacobs, Jane. "Letter from Jane Jacobs to Chadbourne Gilpatric." Letter to Chadbourne
Gilpatric. 14 June 1958.
This letter is from Jane Jacobs to Mr. Chadbourne Gilpatric from the Rockefeller
Foundation from September 16th, 1958. Jane Jacobs is writing on stationary from the
Forum magazine which is where she wrote articles, for example Downtown is for

People. The letter is about Jacobs requesting funding to write a book about NYC and
urban planning. This source is useful because it shows that she cared about and was
interested in New York City and what it is made of and all the parts that make it up. It
also shows that she worked with the Rockefeller Foundation, which now gives an award
in Jacobs name every year.
Jacobs, Jane. "Letter to Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council." Letter to Mayor
Michael Bloomberg. 15 Apr. 2005.
This is a letter from Jane Jacobs to Mayor Bloomberg and the city council about the
rezoning of Greenpoint and Williamsburg. Jacobs explains that the citys plans would
destroy jobs, does not plan for the future, would ruin the community, and put in
unattractive and unoriginal tall buildings. She explains that if the community were able to
use their own plan there would be only good things to come, including a sense of
community, more jobs, artistic talents showcased, and unique and specific plans set up for
the future and for all types of people living in the community. This is useful because it
shows how important the grassroots community organization is in urban planning and
developing its own area, as shown first by Jane Jacobs herself. It also shows how she
continued to spread her knowledge up until late in her life, and was always trying to
better the city for other people.
Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities: Random House, 1961. Print.
This book, written by Jane Jacobs herself, explains all of Jane Jacobs theories in
detail. These include her belief that cities should have mixed buildings of different
materials and sizes, and that communities need to work together in order to succeed. She
also explained that people must have an interest in bettering their own neighborhood for

it to succeed. Jacobs also opposed the introduction of automobiles to city streets because
of how they damaged the city. This was useful because it helped to give a first person
view of Jane Jacobs ideas and allowed me to take her place in my performance. This
book was also helpful because it helped me to understand each of Jane Jacobs beliefs and
also explained the different ways they have been implemented throughout the world.

Jane Jacobs. Greenacre Reference Library, Municipal Art Society, New York City, NY.
I was in contact with the librarian at the Municipal Art Society, who had an
exhibit on Jane Jacobs in 2007. They were able to provide for me the binder of
information that they held on the exhibit, as well as many other papers on Jane Jacobs. I
was able to read many helpful reviews of the exhibit, as well as viewing pictures and
reading captions from the actual museum. I was also able to look at three books here, and
see many articles on Jacobs theories and life. This was very helpful because it gave me a
very rounded selection of information on my topic and allowed me to see how other
people have analyzed her legacy and work in the past.
Jane Jacobs Papers, 1916-2005. Manuscripts Collection, Boston College Burns Library,
Chestnut Hill, MA.
The collection at the Burns Library was the most helpful of all my sources. I went
through hundreds of pictures, letters, articles, diagrams, and awards. Through these
sources, I found out a lot of information about Jane Jacobs and was able to find sources
that could not have been found any other way. Jacobs donated all of her papers here, so it
had documents from when she was first born to just before she died. Some of the most
important parts of this collection were the letters that showed Jacobs interactions in both

her social and business life. The photographs I found in this collection were also
extremely useful because it displayed to me how Jacobs looked throughout her life and
also showed all the different events that she was a part of. Overall this collection was
extremely helpful and gave me lots of information on Jane Jacobs as I was able to view
hundreds of sources.
Janeway, Elliot. Author Views Cities as Interdependent. The Chicago Tribune 5 June
1969. Print.
This newspaper article explains Jacobs theories as seen in her book The Economy of
Cities. One of the theories that it focuses on is Jane Jacobs controversial belief that
agriculture and industry spurs from the development of a city, not the other way around.
This was helpful because it gave a perspective from a person on the other side of the
country who also understood the importance of Jane Jacobs theories. It also explained
another one of her books and gave even more insight into her various theories on urban
development and economics.
Johnston, Richard. 4 in Village Sue City to Block N.Y.U. Library. The New New York
Times. 13 September 1966. Print.
This article explains how back in 1966, NYU was building a new library on the south
side of Washington Square Park. Jane Jacobs was one of the four people that sued the city
for the building of this library because they were given the land without an auction, and
there was no declaration that it could not have been used for the public. The building was
drastically different from the rest of the buildings around the park and would also
obstruct sunlight from the park. This is important because it shows Jane Jacobs standing
up for her own beliefs and her attempts to keep New York the same. It also shows how

although Jane Jacobs did not win every battle, because the building did end up being
built, she fought hard for each and every one and tried her best.
Moses, Robert "Letter on Death and Life of Great American Cities" Letter to Bennet
Cerf. 15 November 1961.
This letter is from Robert Moses to Bennet Cerf, founder of Random House
Publishing. Mr. Moses was sent a copy of Jane Jacobs book The Death and Life of Great
American Cities and he responded that the book was libelous and awful, and that the
trash book should be sent to someone else. This is useful because it shows an opposing
urban planners ideas on Jane Jacobs work and theories. It also shows how her work was
extremely different from everyone else at the time, but over time it has become accepted
and seen as insightful.

Mumford, Lewis. Letter to Jane Jacobs. 4th January 1963.

Lewis Mumford, who wrote many books and was a studier of urban planning and
renewal, wrote this letter to Jane Jacobs in praise for the work she has done. Mumford
focuses on the successes of Washington Square Park and the cancelling of plans for the
Lower Manhattan Expressway. He also explains that her work paved the way for other
community organizations to step up, and that this will happen more and more after these
groups experience some successes. This is useful because it shows that many urban
planners did believe in Jacobs work and thought she was doing good for the city. It also
explains that she gave community organizations the idea of stepping up and advocating
for their ideas.
Severo, Richard. "Mrs. Jacobss Protest Results in Riot Charge." The New York Times 18

April 1968. Print.

This article explains how Jane Jacobs was arrested after she stood up and protested at the
meeting of the Lower Manhattan Expressway in 1968. This was useful because it helps to
understand that Jane Jacobs would stop at nothing to get her way, and that she was not
scared of the larger powers that were holding her down.

Steyaert, Jan. Email Interview. 6 December 2014.

Jan Steyaert is an expert in urban development and wrote a journal on Jane Jacobs that
was extremely helpful in my research. I contacted him through email, and asked him if he
could add any insight on the legacy of Jane Jacobs because his article talked more about
the leadership aspects. He explained that one of Jacobs most important contributions was
the confidence she gave other people to stand up for their beliefs. He also said that her
work has had a more positive impact on New York City than Robert Moses. This was
helpful because it helped me to understand the legacy of Jane Jacobs from an experts
point of view.

Travis Terry. Email Interview. 13 April 2015.

Travis Terry was one of the founding members of the organization Friends of the
Queensway, which is working hard to make sure that the Queensway is approved and
developed. The Queensway follows many of Jacobs theories, and in the interview Travis
Terry explained to me how it embodies these beliefs. The interview helped me to get a
rounded understanding of what exactly the Queensway was and what it was going to do

to benefit the neighborhood, while at the same time proving the lasting impact of Jane
Jacobs work and legacy.
West Village Group to Offer Housing Plan to the City. The New York Times 2 February
1969. Print.
This article describes the West Village Committees creation of a housing plan
after the city wanted to change this area. This creation would follow Jacobs beliefs and
would allow the Village to stay how it was while also creating homes for hundreds more
people. This is useful because it shows Jacobs ideas being put to use and it also explains
how positive the work that Jacobs did in the city truly was.
Wilson, James Q. "Letter to Jane Jacobs from James Q. Wilson." Letter to Jane Jacobs.
18 July 1965.
James Q. Wilson asked if Jane Jacobs article Downtown is for People could be featured
in his book on urban renewal. Jacobs responded that she didnt want her work in this
book and was dismayed by the fact that she was even asked, because in her view it would
display her opinions wrongly. This letter was useful because it shows Jane Jacobs was
famous within the field of urban planning and that many people wanted to display her
work and were interested in it, but she had a very clear opinion and wanted it shown
properly.

Secondary Sources
Alexiou, Alice Sparberg. Jane Jacobs: Urban Visionary. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers
UP, 2006. Print.
This book explains Jane Jacobs life while at the same time analyzing her ideas and work.
It specifically talks about Greenwich Village before Jacobs work and focuses on the
actions she took there against urban development. This was helpful because it showed her
as a problem solver who was able to stop the city from changing the Village and keep her
community the way it is.
Burden, Amanda. "Jane Jacobs, Robert Moses and City Planning Today." Gotham
Gazette 6 November 2006. Web.
This article compares the legacy of Robert Moses to the legacy of Jane Jacobs. Robert
Moses had big plans that he implemented into the city, but in order for plans like this to
be achieved there must be a relationship between the planners and the community. This
idea that people should have an active role in their community was brought on by Jane
Jacobs, and she inspired many other activists to step up and advocate for their own beliefs
about the city. The author, a chair member of the New York City Planning Commission,
explains how although Moses got more done in the city, Jacobs had a more lasting legacy
because of her community focused ideas. This article is important because it explains the
legacy of Jacobs but also compares it to another important figure in city planning. The
authors description of Moses work as being a thing of the past and Jacobs work

inspiring the future summarizes the ongoing impact of Jacobs that will last forever. This
is a helpful source because it doesnt just describe one aspect of Jane Jacobs legacy, but
instead gives an overarching idea of how she affected NYC and city planners
everywhere.
Desrochers, Pierre, and Gert-Jan Hospers. Cities and the Economic Development of
Nations: An Essay on Jane Jacobs Contribution to Economic Theory. Canadian
Journal of Regional Science 30.1 (2007): 115-30. Web.
This journal focuses on Jane Jacobs ideas and accomplishments in economic theory. The
authors Desrochers and Hospers work in the Department of Geography and the Legal and
Economic Governance Studies sections respectively at separate universities in Canada.
The journal starts with a description of Jacobs early life, zeroing in on her work in
economic theory rather than urban planning. The next section is a brief description of
each of Jane Jacobs core theories on economics and provides insight into her beliefs and
ideas. Perhaps the most important sections of this piece are the comparisons between
Jacobs beliefs and other popular theorists and the authors assessment of her theories.
The authors believe there are things wrong with Jacobs beliefs that dont exactly work
when put into actuality, but think that because her ideas are so different they are
extremely important and deserve to be analyzed closely. This source, though having
excess information not necessary for my research question, helped to understand how
Jacobs ideas affected other economic theorists and how they play into NYC today.
Dullea, Georgia. "As an Urban Rite, Stoop-Sitting Endures." New York Times 15 August
1989. Print.

This article is a description of community members on West 46th Street between 9th and
10th sitting on their stoop and watching the street. Though the view is constantly
changing, neighborhood regulars remain on their stoop in order to watch for crime and
converse with their neighbors. The author of this article believes that sitting on your stoop
is a good way to keep other people off, as well as a way to see what is around you. The
author Georgia Dullea relates this to how Jane Jacobs believed in sitting on your porch
and watching the dance that occurs everyday in New York City, and also her belief that
you should keep a watchful eye on your street. Dullea describes Jane Jacobs legacy in a
positive way by demonstrating not only how parts of the city were preserved by Jane
Jacobs, but also because it shows the preservations of her ideas. This article connects well
with other findings on the beliefs of Jane Jacobs, which includes her belief that a
community should act as many things, including a place for social engagements.
Flint, Anthony. Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took on New York's Master
Builder and Transformed the American City. New York: Random House, 2009. Print.
This book tells the story of Jane Jacobs from when she moved to Scranton and
throughout her life in New York City. It talks about all the problems Jacobs had with the
city when she first arrived, and all the actions she took to change them. The focus of this
book is on her fight against Robert Moses, especially with the plan for the Lower
Manhattan Expressway. This was helpful for my project because it described Janes life
from start to finish; because the focus of the book was on her fight with Moses, it worked
especially well as my project also focused on the same fight.

Gardner, James. "What Would Jane Think?" The New York Sun 27 September

2007. Print.
This article, which I found at the archives of the Municipal Art Society (MAS), talks
about the exhibit that MAS created about Jane Jacobs principles and what she would
think of New York today. The show and article focus on her belief in mixed buildings,
small blocks, multiple uses of buildings, and concentrated populations. The article
explains places today where each of these theories are present, which allowed me to
understand that her legacy does still exist today.

Georgoulias, Andreas, and Ali Khawaja. "Lower Manhattan Expressway." Harvard Graduate
School of Design, 2010. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
This research paper on Jane Jacobs and the Lower Manhattan Expressway was very
helpful. The paper includes background information on both Jacobs and Robert Moses,
an in depth discussion on the work of the Joint Committee to Stop the Lower Manhattan
Expressway, and pictures of the proposed plan. The information included in this paper
was very helpful as it talked about the Lower Manhattan Expressway and Jane Jacobs
role in stopping it, which made up a very large portion of my website. The pictures were
also helpful in allowing me to understand how New York City would look if the highway
had been built.

Gratz, Roberta Brandes. The Battle for Gotham: New York in the Shadow of Robert
Moses and Jane Jacobs. New York: Nation, 2010. Print.
This book told the story of Jane Jacobs and also of New York City during the time
of Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses. The most interesting part of this book was Jane Jacobs
first hand account of her arrest after the meeting about the Lower Manhattan Expressway.

This was helpful because it gave both an experts point of view and Jane Jacobs personal
point of view on an event that happened in her life.

Hock, Jennifer. Jane Jacobs and the West Village: The Neighborhood against Urban
Renewal Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 66.1 (2007): 16-19. Web.
The focus of this journal is the fight of Jane Jacobs and the Committee to Save the West
Village (CSWV) against the destruction and renewal of the West Village. The author,
Jennifer Hock of Harvard University, commemorates the success of this committee with
the help of Jacobs and compares it to other similar activist groups of the time. This
grassroots organization was able to fight against major powers in the city in order to save
their community, which was thought to be too old and crowded. Hock recognizes
however that CSWV did ignore some important factors that would actually improve the
condition of life for the poorer and minority groups in the West Village if the citys plan
for renewal was accepted. An important factor however in the success of the CSWV was
that they followed the ideas straight out of Jane Jacobs book The Death and Life of
Great American Cities. The author thinks positively of the actions done by this
committee and appreciates their success, while still understanding the other side that they
were fighting against.

"Jane Jacobs." Project for Public Spaces. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.
This website has a basic biography on the life of Jane Jacobs, from her early life to her
later years. This was very helpful because it gave me important dates and small bits of
background information that were necessary for my project.

Manshel, Andrew. "Enough With Jane Jacobs Already." The Wall Street Journal 29 June
2010. Web.
This article describes how as the city is changing, ideas on urban planning are changing
as well. Jane Jacobs beliefs that communities should have diverse buildings, short
blocks, and that cars and large-scale planning should be kept out of cities have been
followed by many urban planners, studied by interested students, and used as evidence
for many debates. These ideas were able to round up communities to hold protests and
save NYCs 5th avenue and the West Village. However, Andrew Manshel, the executive
vice president of an organization that works in the planning and revitalization of Jamaica,
believes that some of Jacobs ideas were logical fallacies and that New York also benefits
from large plans and urban development. This article does describe how Jacobs positively
impacted NYC and how her legacy still exists, but also explains how other ideas make
more sense for the city today. The author agrees with her ideas but does not fully believe
they fit with the changing environment. Manshel explains that because the times are
changing, there are also changes in neighborhood planning that could make the city even
better than it already is based on the ideas from the past.

The Queensway. Friends of the Queensway and the Trust for Public Land, 2015. Web. 22
March 2015.
In order to display Jane Jacobs legacy, I wanted to find a development in my own
neighborhood that followed some of her beliefs. The Queensway, which is going to turn
over three miles of abandoned railroad into a park, fits perfectly into this. This website
gives information and graphics about what the proposed Queensway will look like, how it

will act, and how it will impact the community. This was very helpful because it gave me
information to create my final journal entry of my performance.

Schuerman, Matthew. "What Would Jane Jacobs Think?" New York Observer 24
September 2007. Print.
This article talks about the West Village and other parts of New York today. Jane Jacobs
explained the sidewalk ballet that existed on Hudson Street, and sadly it is not exactly the
same today. However, there are new aspects and improvements being added to the
neighborhood, and the Village is now one of the most expensive and exclusive areas of
the city. This article helps because it shows how even in changing times, Jacobs beliefs
are still apparent today in the Village and also in parts of the city like Astoria and Bay
Ridge.

Steyaert, Jan. Jane Jacobs, A Rebel with a Cause. Social Work and Society: The
International Online-Only Journal 10.1 (2012) : n. pag. Web.
This journal from the Social Work and Society International Online Journal is a
biography and review of Jane Jacobs life and work. The author, Jan Steyaert, is a
professor and researcher in the field of social and political sciences and also social
infrastructure and technology. The information cited in the journal comes from
biographies, articles, and Jacobs own books. The piece begins with a discussion of Jane
Jacobs early life and her first steps into the world of urban planning and social work,
especially her work in journalism. Her success in her fight against Robert Moses plans
for an expressway in Lower Manhattan are highlighted. The author reviews Jacobs book
The Death and Life of Great American Cities, displaying his agreement with many of

her ideas. It is clear that Steyaert thinks positively of his subject and feels she deserves
more credit and recognition than she has received so far in studies of social work and
planning. This source gives an overview of all parts of Jane Jacobs life and will help to
understand the legacy that she has left, proving her positive impact of New York City by
fighting for her beliefs.

Vitullo-Martin, Julia. "Four Jane Jacobs Ideas that Should Have Made a Difference."
Center for Rethinking Development (Sept. 2007). The Manhattan Institute. Web.
This newsletter discusses all of Jane Jacobs ideas that would benefit the city but are not
followed in this day and age. The newsletter also discusses the actions that people are
taking to prevent the changes needed to bring New York back to the vision of Jane
Jacobs, and the people who are attempting to recreate her ideal city. The citys zoning
code is designed so that most people dont live where they work, but the Live-Work
movement has been attempting to make it so that people could easily move from their
work to their home. Jane Jacobs also believed that many vendors should be allowed to
flourish, while the Parks Department wants to get rid of every vendor without a permit
and wipe out all uniqueness in the community. Though some of her ideas do not make
sense for the world today, especially her ones on public housing, making changes to the
city based on her ideas could actually better the city and continue her legacy. The author
of this article believes in the ideas of Jane Jacobs, but recognizes why they do not have a
strong impact of the city. This newsletter will not be as helpful as other articles directly
describing how her ideas affected the city, but this will be helpful in understanding how
they could possibly help NYC in the future and why they are important.

Wendt, Matthias. "The Importance of Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) by
Jane Jacobs to the Profession of Urban Planning." New Visions for Public Affairs Volume
1: 14-21 (2009).
This journal discusses the theories that Jane Jacobs presents in her book The Death and
Life of Great American Cities, as well as the impact that her book had on the world.
Jacobs book is considered the most important critique of urban planning, and is used in
classes on urban sociology around the world. Other planners have based their theories off
the ones created by Jacobs. The New Urbanism movement has borrowed from Jacobs
ideas about the density and diversity of city streets. The Atlantic Yards Project in
Brooklyn also took many ideas from her book, including the mixture of different
purposes of community and the maintenance of diversity within that same community.
This article supports my analysis of Jane Jacobs legacy because it discusses each of her
theories in detail and explains how each one affected urban development in a positive
way. The authors believe Jacobs to be a helpful and driving force in urban planning. The
journal also talks about specific projects that were based off Jacobs ideas, and shows a
direct impact of her work on New York City. This is more useful than my other legacy
articles because it has a detailed description of each direct effect of Jane Jacobs work.
Zukin, Sharon. Jane Jacobs. The Architectural Review 26 October 2011. Print.
Sharon Zukin, an author and professor specializing in urban life and development,
discusses Jane Jacobs views and their application in the world today. Jacobs book The
Death and Life of Great American Cities, and her fight against development in her home
of Lower Manhattan make her one of the most important figures in urban development.
Jane Jacobs wanted city streets to be a social place and was against Robert Moses

proposal to build a Lower Manhattan expressway. She wanted short blocks without
skyscrapers and each community to have their own character. Zukins main reason for
writing this article seems to be to make the connection between Jane Jacobs ideas and
how today, we are losing local streets to large condos and shopping centers. This source
will be useful mostly due to the fact that it speaks of the legacy that Jacobs has left on
the world and how it still connects to us as a society today. Sharon Zukin seems to have
mixed feelings about Jacobs. She starts with how important of a writer she was. Zukin
then argues some of the points made by Jacobs, including how she never took a stand in
higher forms of government and how she didnt always consider the lower class. Zukin
then regains her confidence in the greatness of Jacobs. The authors goal of this article
was to give readers who are into architecture and city development an idea of some of the
beliefs of the past and how they still relate.