Take a look at the list below:
1. Leonardo DiCaprio
2. Alicia Keys
3. Justin Timberlake
4. Beyonce
5. Jane Jacobs
All of the people on this list have some connection to New York City. The first four you should be able to easily recognize as common celebrities. However, you may not have heard the name Jane Jacobs before. She is a woman of great wisdom and integrity. She saved Manhattan before any of the other people on the list were even born.
In the mid-1900s Jane Jacobs had an encounter with master builder and longtime New York City Parks Commissioner, Robert Moses. Moses had proposed the Lower Manhattan Expressway, which would be a ten-lane elevated highway. The problem was that it would cut right through neighborhoods, destroying Washington Square Park, and demolishing many buildings. This plan would displace thousands of families and businesses. Jacobs saw the injustices within this plan and began to unite the soon to be affected communities. This has notably been claimed as one of the most powerful grassroots uprisings in the city’s history. Even Lewis Mumford, who heavily criticized her first novel, stood beside her on this development issue.
Jacobs rallied to make an influence on the city’s decision. She attended every hearing and led various community-wide movements. The main question at the core of her perspective was “Are we building cities for people or for cars?” Although Moses held power through his title as Parks Commissioner in the city, Jacobs had a stronger ability to communicate, which set her apart and eventually led her to a winning case. She was able to relate to many city dwellers on a personal level. She went above and beyond observing how the city worked and explaining why it was the best option for the citizens to keep their homes and businesses. Jacobs truly emphasized a community focus by touching the hearts of the neighborhood dwellers to help them reach the words they needed to speak up against the development.
The battle against the highway was long and gruesome. During one public hearing Jacobs tore the stenographer’s notes saying that if there was no record, there was no hearing (power moves only am I right?). On December 11, 1962, the vote was made to turn down the proposal for the Lower Manhattan Expressway. This decision was uplifting for many of the citizens because they gained a voice in the community with the help of Jane Jacobs.
This movement was extremely important for New York City. The down vote for the expressway paved the path for the future of Manhattan. New York City is notably not broken through with highways like many other cities in the US. This factor has been influential in defining Manhattan. It has provided cultural fluidity and economic efficiency, all of which would not have been possible without the works of Jacobs to offset Moses’ plan.
Jacobs consistently stood up for what she believed in, influencing urban planning policies that we hold today. She recognized the importance of people and how they interact within their socially constructed environment. Jane Jacobs is an inspiration as her work showed people across the US that they could fight against the bulldozer of urban renewal—and win.
