Jacobs, Chapter 7, The Generators of Diversity. 187-196
We celebrate diversity today. Roger Williams University strives to increase diversity on the faculty and in the student body. This was hardly standard thinking when Jacobs wrote this book in 1961. What Jacobs is most interested in is diversity in the physical fabric of the city, and how this leads to a variety of different cultural diversities–diversity of class and diversity of race among them. If the structures are uniform and inflexible how can those that inhabit them be otherwise?
"The Flats" in Cleveland, Ohio. prowl around a bit. There is a very similar area in Providence, though not as far along in development. See if you can find it on Google Maps. Can you find a similar area in your city? Start hunting for one.
Our hypothetical Mr. would be located about where the street view above starts. Take a walk for him to see what he might have been missing.
The diagrams in the chapter remind me of Pacman and Super Mario Brothers. Did any of you ever play them?
Don't play them in class.
Read, in Jacobs.
Chapter 8. The Need for Mixed Primary UsesML 198 - 232
Chapter 9. The Need for Small BlocksML 233 - 243
Chapters 8 - 11 are going to be easy to read and digest. The important thing is to make sure you understand the four conditions, one per chapter, which are presented in italics. Now that we’ve got our cities sorted out, I’d like to have you prowl around various areas in your city, using “Streetview” on Google Maps. Find areas which qualify as meeting those conditions and find areas which fail them. Post links to these in your journals so we can explore them together. Remember we’re working in districts or neighborhoods. Regardless of city, some work well, some don’t: your job is to help us spot those that do and those that don’t in our gallery of cities–-Miami. Las Vegas, New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Naples, Atlanta, and Seattle.
Chapter eight provides more detail related to ideas which Jacobs presented in the chapters on sidewalks and parks. The idea is to have people out and about in significant numbers all through the day. If you have a grasp of what constitutes a primary use this will not be difficult. She gives an example of a single use district which has severe, almost insoluble problems (as she defines them). Some of you have visited the area. If you’ve visited it on a Sunday morning you’ll know what she’s talking about. You’ll see it up above.
Chapter nine is a short chapter dealing with a short subject. It should occupy your attention for a short time. All this shortness is making me feel gigantic.
Consider, for instance, the situation of a man living on a long street block, such as West Eighty-eighth Street in Manhattan, between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. He goes westward along his 800-foot block to reach the stores on Columbus Avenue or take the bus, and he goes eastward to reach the park, take the subway or another bus. He may very well never enter the adjacent blocks on Eighty-seventh Street and Eighty-ninth Street for years.
Looking Ahead.
Has Silas Lapham risen yet? He should have. I'll be giving you something to write about Silas and his proper Bostonian neighbors. We'll not spend a lot of time discussing him... some yes, a lot no. Below is a little gift. Each Logo leads to a list of blogs about the cities we're studying this year. Check them out to see what's up.
We celebrate diversity today. Roger Williams University strives to increase diversity on the faculty and in the student body. This was hardly standard thinking when Jacobs wrote this book in 1961. What Jacobs is most interested in is diversity in the physical fabric of the city, and how this leads to a variety of different cultural diversities–diversity of class and diversity of race among them. If the structures are uniform and inflexible how can those that inhabit them be otherwise? 
