Genius of Common Sense

In 1961, Jane Jacobs' book "The Death and Life of Great American Cities", revolutionized the fields of city planning and city architecture. Jacobs perceived that the new structures being built to replace the aging housing of older cities were often far worse. This book reveals the story of how Jacobs changed the way the world thought forever.

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This book presents the inspiring story of the woman whose passion and dedication revolutionised the way we think about cities. In 1961, Jane Jacobs' book "The Death and Life of Great American Cities", not only revolutionized the fields of city planning and city architecture, but forever changed the way we thought about how life is lived in densely packed urban centres. This was during a time when the 'urban renewal' movement was at its most aggressive, and Jacobs correctly perceived that the new structures being built to replace the aging housing of older cities were often far worse, both in their impact on society and their architectural sterility, than that which urban planners saw as 'the problem'. She was ridiculed and pilloried by the establishment, but her ideas quickly took hold, and no one ever looked at inner cities the same way again. "Genius of Common Sense" is an illustrated and inspiring volume that reveals the fascinating story of how Jane Jacobs changed the way the world thought forever.