The Highway Fight that Changed Cities Forever

Summary

This video recounts the historic battle between Robert Moses, a powerful urban planner, and Jane Jacobs, a grassroots activist, over the future of New York City. At stake was the proposed Lower Manhattan Expressway, a project Moses championed to alleviate traffic but which threatened to destroy neighborhoods like Soho and Little Italy. Jacobs fought to preserve the unique character of urban spaces, advocating for local communities. The video highlights their contrasting philosophies and the lasting impact of their conflict on city planning, while also reflecting on the relevance of their ideas today.

Takeaways

• 🏙️ Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs clashed over urban planning approaches in New York City, representing top-down and bottom-up philosophies, respectively.
• 🛣️ Moses proposed the Lower Manhattan Expressway (Lomex), a highway to connect key bridges and reduce traffic but which would have displaced thousands of residents in Soho and Little Italy.
• 📚 Jane Jacobs, a writer and activist, opposed the project, arguing for preserving neighborhoods and focusing on strengthening communities rather than demolishing them.
• 🏗️ Moses, known for his power in New York urban development, oversaw massive infrastructure projects including highways, bridges, and public housing, shaping modern New York.
• 🚦 Moses prioritized efficiency and modernism, often disregarding the local impact, such as displacing communities for the sake of urban renewal.
• 🏘️ Jacobs fought to save neighborhoods targeted for urban renewal, arguing they had value and vibrant communities worth preserving, influencing urban planning philosophies.
• ⚖️ The Lomex project became a pivotal battle, with Jacobs and community coalitions halting the plan after extensive protests, and this marked a shift away from Moses' dominance.
• 📉 Moses' influence waned as urban renewal projects became increasingly criticized for displacing low-income residents, including cases like Lincoln Center, which replaced the vibrant San Juan Hill neighborhood.
• 🏗️ Despite Moses' fall, some argue today that his ability to build high-quality, long-lasting infrastructure efficiently is missed in current times of rising construction costs and aging infrastructure.
• 🏙️ The legacies of both Moses and Jacobs are being reassessed, with some seeing Jacobs' resistance to urban redevelopment as potentially contributing to modern issues like gentrification and NIMBYism.

Q & A

Who were the two key figures in the battle over the Lower Manhattan Expressway?

The two key figures were Robert Moses, a master builder known for top-down urban planning, and Jane Jacobs, an activist and author who advocated for bottom-up, grassroots city planning.

What was the main difference in the urban planning philosophies of Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs?

Robert Moses focused on efficiency, large-scale infrastructure projects, and urban renewal, often at the expense of local neighborhoods. Jane Jacobs emphasized preserving local communities, mixed-use development, and planning that respected the organic growth of cities.

What was the Lower Manhattan Expressway (Lomax), and why was it controversial?

The Lower Manhattan Expressway was a proposed highway designed to connect the Holland Tunnel with the Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges, cutting through Lower Manhattan. It was controversial because it would have displaced thousands of people, destroyed neighborhoods like Soho and Little Italy, and prioritized suburban commuters over inner-city residents.

How did Robert Moses justify the displacement of residents for his projects?

Robert Moses argued that displacing residents would improve their living conditions, as the areas targeted for redevelopment were often low-income and seen as dilapidated. He believed that the projects would alleviate traffic congestion and increase property values.

How did Jane Jacobs and her supporters oppose the Lower Manhattan Expressway?

Jane Jacobs and her supporters formed a grassroots coalition that organized protests, marches, and picketing campaigns. They raised awareness through media outlets like the Village Voice and argued that the expressway would harm neighborhoods and not effectively reduce traffic.

What was the outcome of the battle over the Lower Manhattan Expressway?

The expressway project was ultimately canceled in 1969 after Jane Jacobs' coalition successfully lobbied against it. Mayor John Lindsay and Governor Nelson Rockefeller withdrew support, and the project was officially 'demapped,' ending Moses's plans.

How did Jane Jacobs’ views on city planning challenge the mainstream approach of her time?

Jane Jacobs challenged the prevailing notion of urban renewal, which often involved large-scale demolitions and modern infrastructure projects. She argued for preserving the social fabric of neighborhoods, advocating for mixed-use development, small blocks, and community-driven planning.

What were some of Robert Moses's most significant urban projects in New York City?

Some of Moses's major projects included the construction of highways, bridges like the Triborough Bridge, public housing, tunnels, and parks. He was also instrumental in the development of Lincoln Center, which displaced the San Juan Hill neighborhood.

What was the significance of Jane Jacobs' book 'The Death and Life of Great American Cities'?

'The Death and Life of Great American Cities,' published in 1961, is considered one of the most important books on urban planning. It critiqued modern city planning practices and advocated for a human-centered approach that valued the complexities and social interactions of urban life.

How has the legacy of Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs been re-evaluated in modern times?

While Robert Moses is often criticized for his disregard for communities and his authoritarian style, some argue that his ability to build lasting infrastructure efficiently is missed today. Jane Jacobs' ideas on preserving urban neighborhoods are celebrated, but some critics point out that her principles can now be associated with gentrification and nimbyism. Both figures' legacies are viewed through the lens of current urban challenges.

Outlines

00:00

⚔️ Clash of City Planning Titans: Robert Moses vs Jane Jacobs

This paragraph sets the stage for a legendary battle in urban planning between Robert Moses, a powerful figure in New York's development, and Jane Jacobs, an activist known for her grassroots approach. Their fight centered around the proposed Lower Manhattan Expressway (Lomax), which Moses championed as a way to alleviate traffic and raise property values, while Jacobs argued it would destroy communities like Soho and Little Italy. Moses believed in top-down planning, focusing on efficiency and progress, while Jacobs advocated for preserving neighborhoods and fostering organic, bottom-up growth.

05:00

🏗️ Lincoln Center: The Costs of Urban Renewal

This paragraph highlights Robert Moses’ role in the construction of Lincoln Center, a massive cultural hub built on the former San Juan Hill neighborhood. While the project provided space for prestigious institutions like Juilliard, it displaced thousands of low-income Puerto Rican and African-American residents. Jane Jacobs began to rise in prominence during this time, opposing Moses' slum clearance projects and calling city planning a 'pseudoscience.' Her critique challenged Moses and other planners who sought to modernize cities through large-scale demolition and redevelopment.

10:01

🚧 Jacobs vs Lomax: The Showdown

In this paragraph, the narrative returns to the clash over the Lower Manhattan Expressway. As Moses pushed forward with the plan, Jacobs organized protests, including picketing campaigns and marches. Despite Moses’ strong backing from powerful allies like David Rockefeller, Jacobs' grassroots efforts succeeded in halting the project temporarily. Her coalition of local residents and media outlets helped sway public opinion, eventually forcing Mayor Wagner to pause building condemnations. Jacobs' arguments against the expressway highlighted the negative impact it would have on property values and traffic in Lower Manhattan.

✊ Jacobs’ Persistence and the End of Lomax

This paragraph continues the fight between Moses and Jacobs, with Moses regaining momentum as he persuaded Mayor Wagner to restart the Lomax project. However, Jacobs' group employed creative tactics, such as using New York City’s landmarks law to protect buildings threatened by demolition. After Mayor Lindsay took office in 1966, he became more skeptical of the expressway, and protests led by Jacobs kept pressure on city officials. Jacobs was even arrested during a public meeting but was later released. Ultimately, Governor Rockefeller ended the project in 1969, marking the decline of Moses' influence.

📖 The Legacy of Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses

This paragraph discusses the long-term impact of both Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs on urban planning. Jacobs’ ideas are now highly regarded, and her book *The Death and Life of Great American Cities* remains influential, though some of her concepts, like fighting redevelopment, have been re-evaluated in the modern context of urban challenges like gentrification and housing shortages. On the other hand, Moses, despite his authoritarian methods and controversial projects, is credited with building lasting infrastructure. The debate over whose approach—Jacobs’ grassroots planning or Moses' top-down efficiency—is better for today’s cities remains open.

🎥 Upcoming Video: The Mysteries of Boston Streets

The final paragraph shifts focus to the creator's next video on the confusing layout of Boston's streets, available on Nebula, a creator-owned streaming service. The paragraph also promotes Nebula, highlighting its benefits, including early access to content from various creators and exclusive videos. The section serves as an invitation to join Nebula for viewers who want to support the creator's work and watch content ahead of its release on YouTube.

Keywords

💡Robert Moses

Robert Moses was a powerful city planner and 'master builder' who significantly shaped New York City from the 1930s to the 1960s. Known for his top-down, efficiency-driven approach to urban development, Moses was responsible for major infrastructure projects such as highways, bridges, and public housing. In the video, he represents the technocratic perspective that values large-scale development, often at the expense of local communities.

💡Jane Jacobs

Jane Jacobs was an activist and author famous for her bottom-up approach to city planning, which emphasized the importance of vibrant, small-scale community life. In her book 'The Death and Life of Great American Cities,' she critiques urban renewal projects and advocates for preserving local neighborhoods. In the video, she stands in opposition to Robert Moses, particularly in the fight over the Lower Manhattan Expressway, representing a more human-centered, grassroots perspective.

💡Lower Manhattan Expressway (Lomex)

The Lower Manhattan Expressway (Lomex) was a proposed highway project that would have cut through Lower Manhattan, displacing thousands of residents and businesses. It was a focal point of the battle between Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs. Moses advocated for the project as a solution to traffic congestion, while Jacobs opposed it, arguing it would destroy thriving neighborhoods like SoHo and Little Italy. The expressway symbolizes the broader debate between large-scale urban development and the preservation of local communities.

💡Urban Renewal

Urban renewal refers to a series of policies and projects aimed at revitalizing cities by clearing 'slums' and building new infrastructure, often funded by the federal government. This was a central concept in mid-20th-century urban planning, as represented by Moses’ projects like the Lincoln Center. However, Jane Jacobs criticized urban renewal for displacing low-income residents and destroying local cultures. The video's narrative contrasts these two perspectives on city development.

💡Grassroots Planning

Grassroots planning refers to city development driven by local residents rather than top-down authorities. Jane Jacobs embodies this philosophy, advocating for the preservation of local communities and organic city growth. In contrast to Robert Moses' large-scale, top-down projects, Jacobs’ grassroots approach focuses on small, diverse neighborhoods and the everyday lives of the people living there.

💡Slum Clearance

Slum clearance was a central aspect of urban renewal, where areas considered dilapidated or low-income were demolished to make way for new development. Robert Moses championed slum clearance to modernize cities, while Jane Jacobs opposed it, arguing that so-called 'slums' often had functional communities worth preserving. This concept is key to understanding their opposing views on city planning.

💡The Death and Life of Great American Cities

'The Death and Life of Great American Cities' is Jane Jacobs' most famous book, which critiques mid-20th-century urban planning practices and offers a defense of community-focused, organic city growth. The book played a pivotal role in shaping Jacobs' ideas and served as the foundation for her opposition to figures like Robert Moses. It remains a seminal text in urban studies.

💡Top-Down Planning

Top-down planning refers to a centralized approach to city development, often led by government officials or planners without input from local residents. Robert Moses exemplified this style, as he pursued large-scale projects like highways and bridges with little concern for the displacement of communities. The video contrasts this approach with Jane Jacobs’ bottom-up philosophy.

💡SoHo

SoHo, a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, is used in the video as an example of the areas that would have been destroyed by the Lower Manhattan Expressway. In the 1960s, SoHo was a productive industrial district, home to many working-class New Yorkers, including people of color. Jane Jacobs fought to preserve the neighborhood, which later became a symbol of urban preservation and gentrification.

💡Gentrification

Gentrification refers to the process where lower-income neighborhoods undergo redevelopment, attracting wealthier residents and driving up property values, often at the expense of original residents. Although Jane Jacobs fought to preserve neighborhoods like SoHo, many of these areas later experienced gentrification, which some argue undermines her vision of community-focused urban planning. The video touches on how this complicates Jacobs' legacy in today's cities.

Highlights

Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs were diametrically opposed figures in urban planning, representing top-down efficiency versus bottom-up grassroots planning.

The main point of contention between Moses and Jacobs was the proposed Lower Manhattan Expressway (Lomex), which would have displaced thousands of residents in areas like Soho and Little Italy.

Moses believed urban renewal, including slum clearance and large-scale infrastructure, was essential for modernizing cities and alleviating traffic congestion.

Jane Jacobs, in contrast, argued for preserving neighborhoods and improving their strengths rather than demolishing them for new developments.

Jacobs and her supporters fought to stop the Lomex, emphasizing the value of local communities, diversity, and small businesses over Moses' grand visions of highways and towers.

The clash between Jacobs and Moses symbolized larger debates on city planning in the mid-20th century, focusing on the future of U.S. cities and urban spaces.

Moses held vast power, controlling numerous public projects in New York from the 1930s to the 1960s, building bridges, tunnels, and parks while shaping the city's infrastructure.

Moses used federal funding during the Great Depression to develop public spaces like parks and swimming pools, showcasing his ability to execute large projects under budget.

Urban renewal, as executed by Moses, displaced low-income residents for projects like Lincoln Center, which eradicated thriving cultural communities such as San Juan Hill.

Jane Jacobs criticized city planning as a pseudoscience, offering a counter-narrative to urban renewal policies by emphasizing organic, community-driven urban growth.

Jacobs’ views were crystallized in her famous book, *The Death and Life of Great American Cities*, which remains one of the most influential texts in urban planning.

Despite Moses' powerful allies, including David Rockefeller, Jacobs and her coalition successfully stopped the Lomex project through grassroots organizing and legal maneuvers.

The cancellation of the Lower Manhattan Expressway in 1969 marked a victory for Jacobs and a turning point in U.S. urban planning, symbolizing a shift toward more community-centered approaches.

Moses' fall from power coincided with growing critiques of large-scale urban renewal projects, which were increasingly seen as destructive to local communities.

While Moses’ infrastructure projects were lauded for their efficiency and durability, his legacy is complicated by accusations of racism and the displacement of minority communities.

Jane Jacobs’ ideas have influenced urban planners for decades, but her critiques are also being re-evaluated, particularly in the context of gentrification and modern housing crises.

Transcripts

it was truly the city planning fight of

the century two of the most well-known

people in the field representing

diametrically opposed viewpoints

battling over one huge project in the

largest city in the United States

in one corner you had the master builder

of New York Robert Moses at the height

of his power from 1946 to 1953 no public

project in New York could get built

without his approval he built highways

public housing Bridges tunnels and more

in the other corner you have Jane Jacobs

an activist and author who earned a name

for herself examining how cities

functioned as an editor for the magazine

architectural forum she would later go

on to pen the most famous book on U.S

city planning the death and life of

Great American cities Jacobs represented

bottom-up Grassroots planning and Robert

Moses represented the top-down

efficiency that typified the era they

faced off over a proposed Highway that

would cut through Lower Manhattan the

project was aptly named the Lower

Manhattan Expressway or Lomax the

expressway was designed to connect the

Holland Tunnel with the Williamsburg

Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge giving

commuters an easier way to cut through

the island it would have decimated the

neighborhoods of Soho in Little Italy

displacing thousands Moses didn't even

deny the impact he said the area was

dilapidated low income with low Prof

property values he diagnosed the

overarching problem as traffic

congestion building the expressway would

alleviate traffic make the area more

attractive and raise property values

displacing people would in his mind

probably improve their condition Moses

believed that in moving tenants out of

the path of Highway construction we must

proceed in a Humane decent way and help

them find other homes and business

places Moses's perspective was also one

of the entire New York Region he had to

consider the needs of residents of the

inner city and the outer boroughs he was

never going to be the efficient

productive master builder by listening

to the complaints of every community

group in a city of millions of people

Jacobs had a different view while she

admitted that those neighborhoods of

lower Manhattan were not in great shape

they're by no means slums and had quite

a few good things going for them

she believed that planner should

identify strengths and fix weaknesses

not demolish and start over

Soho for example was not the wealthy

neighborhood it is today but at that

time was still a productive light

industrial and Warehouse District that

employed many New Yorkers of color

demolishing that area to benefit

Suburban commuters struck Jacobs as

unfair and jacobs's opposition to Moses

and what he represented didn't start

with Lomax let's start this story from

the beginning after the bike belt

foreign

Moses was born in New Haven Connecticut

in 1888 but his family moved to

Manhattan in 1897. Moses went back to

New Haven for college and after

graduating Yale got involved in the

administration of Governor Al Smith

Moses always missed her efficiency set

to the task of reforming the state

government he took on the corrupt

Tammany Hall political machine Moses's

early Ascent came because of his

incredible intelligence diligent

preparation and Savvy understanding of

politics it didn't take long firm to use

those assets to amass unparalleled power

the governor appointed him the president

of the Long Island State Parks

Commission in 1924 and the chairman of

the New York State Parks Commission that

same year Moses proved his worth by

developing Jones Beach State Park taking

a swampy piece of land and turning into

the most visited Beach on the east coast

of the U.S with over 6 million visitors

each year

Moses continued to rise in prominence

and was appointed New York Secretary of

State in 1927 and then the commissioner

of the New York City Department of parks

in 1933. during the Great Depression

money flowed into cities and states from

Washington for poverty relief and Moses

was instrumental in using that funding

to build public swimming pools parks and

public housing in 1934 he became

chairman of the Triborough Bridge and

tunnel Authority which built the

Triborough Bridge it was told and

quickly generated a surplus which Moses

used to build more toll-funded projects

which eventually gave him nearly an

endless stream of money he could use on

other projects to continue to build

influence during and after World War II

Moses was at the height of his power he

seemed to build everything this

coincided with Federal legislation that

would change U.S cities forever it was

known colloquially as urban renewal but

started out as Title 1 of the federal

Housing Act of 1949. the ACT provided

federal dollars to local Redevelopment

agencies to engage in slum clearance and

urban Redevelopment this law was a

response to declining property values in

Central City cities people and

businesses moved out to the suburbs

thanks to the automobile and Suburban

housing as was a part of a housing law

the money had to be used to clear

primarily residential areas or fund

projects primarily residential in nature

but nothing stopped a local agency from

clearing a slum to have a developer

built a commercial project and there was

nothing stopping a commercial developer

from building luxury condos

affordability wasn't written into the

law updates to the law passed in 1954

1959 and 1961 brought in the scope of

the law encouraging more commercial

development downtown and funded

expansions to the universities hospitals

and cultural institutions everyone

agreed that urban renewal is necessary

and that shiny skyscrapers with broad

concrete plazas were the future one of

the most notable examples of this was

Lincoln Center in Manhattan today it's

home to a series of Performing Arts

venues the Juilliard school for

Performing Arts housing and more prior

to 1955 it was the San Juan Hill

Neighborhood it was low income and

populated by Puerto Rican and

African-American residents and a

thriving cultural scene of its own it's

known as the home of the Charleston and

Bebop and an influential home for jazz

musicians thousands of residents and

hundreds of businesses were displaced

when the land was cleared to build

Lincoln Center the residents could not

afford to live in the newly constructed

housing on site and most moved to Harlem

are the outer boroughs the mayor's slum

clearance committee identified San Juan

Hill as the place for Lincoln Center and

authorized the neighborhood's demolition

its chairman was Robert Moses it was in

this environment that Jane Jacobs Rose

to prominence she was born in Scranton

Pennsylvania in 1916. she moved to New

York during the Depression and started

to work as a freelance writer eventually

Landing an architectural Forum it was

here in the 1950s that her views on City

Planning and urban renewal crystallized

into a forceful critique she called city

planning a pseudoscience she pissed off

a whole lot of prominent city planners

during this time including Lewis Mumford

and none other than Robert Moses he said

of Jacobs Jane Jacobs isn't really worth

refuting she has the architectural Forum

following and the professional critics

with her but nobody with any experience

or responsibility is impressed by such

captious owl dropping Moses's distaste

for Jake came in part from her

opposition to the Lincoln Center project

she also opposed Moses's plans for a

highway through Washington Square Park

and an urban renewal public housing

project in the West Village the efforts

to stop those projects were successful

which didn't please Moses Jacobs had

earned a powerful enemy all of this

brings us back to The Showdown over the

Lower Manhattan Expressway Robert Moses

was in the Twilight of his career but

still a formidable foe ever bent on

efficiency and reducing traffic

congestion and you have Jacobs

advocating for small blocks local

businesses and the kind of urban

messiness that ultimately makes a place

attractive Jacobs helped build a diverse

Coalition of residents across ethnic

groups that made their voices heard in

community meetings and local media she

also had allies in organizing she was

recruited to this cause by father Gerard

Le Montana who is church stood in the

path of the bulldozer Moses started with

the upper hand as he had the regional

plan Association the downtown Chamber of

Commerce and David Rockefeller president

of Chase Bank and the founder of the

downtown Lower Manhattan Association on

his side by 1960 Moses had the federal

money to build comics and had in fact

begun to build a tunnel in the area

between the Williamsburg and Manhattan

bridges in response Jacobs LaMontagne

and others organized picketing campaigns

in front of City Hall and despite these

protests the city began condemning

buildings in anticipation of their

demolition

but jacobs's message began to pierce the

dominant narrative thanks in part to

Alternative media Outlets like the

Village Voice she also knew how to make

news

she and father Lemont 10 organized a

March from lemon attempt to church in

Little Italy to Gracie Manch to petition

the mayor to stop the project in

response Moses had lamontagne's boss

Cardinal Spellman prevent him from

organizing but their newsmaking had

worked temporarily and mayor Wagner

halted building condemnations he was

swayed by Jacob's point that the highway

would reduce poverty values near the

highway and did not reduce traffic

congestion as Moses suggested and by

this point New York already had a robust

Highway network with multiple ways of

getting around all five boroughs the

Lomax link wasn't strictly necessary

but the battle wasn't over yet Moses

smeared Jacobs is an obstructionist and

continued lobbying behind the scenes

Jacobs responded by chairing The Joint

Committee to stop the Lower Manhattan

Expressway to keep the pressure on as

well Moses convinced mayor Wagner to

flip and got the project back on track

in 1964. and condemnations began again

thousands of people in 800 businesses

were displaced in January 1966 mayor

Wagner was out and mayor Lindsay was in

and he was far more skeptical of Lomax

than Wagner Moses began the process of

sinking his teeth into the new mayor

while Jacob's group looked for ways to

stop the highway they figured out that

if they used New York City's new

landmarks law to declare a building in

the path of the highway is historic they

could stop the project and they did at

least until Moses could figure out a way

around it mayor Lindsay and Moses

proposed bearing Lomax or building it

over neighborhoods to minimize impacts

though there would still be demolitions

and the cost would be far higher the

project just refused to die and the

chief engineer of the State Highway

Department held a meeting on the subject

in 1968 where he minimized opposition

voices the crowd at the meeting chanted

for Jacobs to speak week after speaking

the chief engineer had Jacobs arrested

charged with inciting a riot and

criminal mischief she was the only

person arrested she eventually got off

with just a fine the protests pushed

mayor Lindsay to withdraw support for

the project Governor Nelson Rockefeller

no fan of Moses officially ended the

project at the state level and in 1969

Lomax was demapped never to return

Rockefeller began to strip Moses of his

leadership positions greatly reducing

his influence and in 1974 urban renewal

ended the era of Moses was over and

Jacobs and her philosophy took root

among planners around the United States

you'll find her at the top of just about

every list of greatest Urban thinker we

teach her in City Planning classes and

University but the death and life was

published over 60 years ago and some are

re-evaluating the legacies of both Moses

and Jacobs Robert carro's Pulitzer

prize-winning book The Power broker has

been the de facto account of Moses's

life and it's not a pretty picture in

one famous account Cairo describes how

Moses designed bridges over the Jones

Beach Parkway so low that buses carrying

black and Puerto Rican New Yorkers

couldn't reach the beach but where in an

era where critical infrastructure built

50 to 100 years ago is failing us Rising

construction costs make it difficult to

repair and replace let alone expand our

infrastructure to things like new Subway

Lines and High-Speed Rail Robert Moses

for all of his flaws built high quality

Urban infrastructure built to last on

time and under budget there are quite a

few Mayors out there who love a Robert

Moses minus the massive ego and blatant

racism but people who read the death and

life today might feel like some of the

advice in that book no longer applies

her advice to fight for urban enclaves

in the face of Redevelopment sounds an

awful lot like nimbyism and many of the

neighborhoods Jacobs fought to save

including Soho rapidly gentrified

pricing out low-income residents nimism

and gentrification are widely seen as

two of the major challenges facing

today's cities it's not hard to find

people who'll be okay with tearing down

a couple blocks of low density housing

in shops to replace it with high density

housing to alleviate the housing crisis

does this mean that Jane Jacobs was

wrong or that we shouldn't be learning

about her simply put no we just have to

remember that she was writing for an

audience in the 1960s not an audience in

the 2020s urban problems were just

radically different then and that's what

she was addressing suburban sprawl and

Rapid disinvestment in downtowns pose

massive challenges to city leaders it

was a problem never seen before brought

about by a technology that hadn't

existed before the automobile Moses saw

this as an opportunity needed to clear

slums in modernized cities Jacob sought

as an opportunity to amplify what makes

cities unique and special when compared

to suburbs the idea that U.S downtowns

could become so sought after that there

would be a lack of affordable housing

didn't even cross her mind in 1961. the

opposite was happening it's just

problematic to ascribe a label that we

use today to someone writing 60 years

ago Jane Jacobs wasn't really a NIMBY

yes she was opposed to slum clearance

but she was also posted a new highway

Construction and building out-of-scale

Urban monoliths many urbanists today

would be on her side with those nimby's

today are all about preserving property

values and stopping change Jane Jacobs

didn't mind change

cities in general are changing and we

have to decide whether we want Jane

Jacob style change Robert Moses style

change or something different entirely

for this new era these Jacobs versus

Moses type debates were happening in

cities across the U.S including Boston

the setting for my next video in that

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the city's streets to answer the

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