Jane Jacobs believed that cities are essentially good places, and she played a historic role in promoting the concept that big cities are even better (and the biggest cities are the best).
She gave simple rules for successful urbanism, based on her first hand experiences in major North American cities. In that vein, I seek to apply empirical observations to test and develop simple heuristics for urban analysis. I most frequently apply these observations to the place where Jacobsian ideals have been most fully realized: the cities of Japan.
Urban analysis can be used not just at the macro level (national and city planning), but also at the micro level (making real-estate valuations and choosing where to live).
Fundamental Texts
- “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” by Jane Jacobs, 1961.
- “Rail Integrated Communities in Tokyo” by John Calimente, 2012.
Supporting Texts
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