Jacobs Sidewalk Utopia

    I thought that Jacobs writing on The Uses of Sidewalks was very interesting. Some of her points were note-worthy, while some I didn't agree with. The article definitely make me think. Jacobs argues that the design of cities should consist of public streets (with purpose), sidewalks that are constantly in use, and alleys.

 “Streets in cities serve many purposes besides carrying vehicles, and city sidewalks – the pedestrian parts of the streets – serve many purposes besides carrying pedestrians.”

    Jacobs makes the assertion that sidewalks are the one thing that make a city safe or unsafe. She stated that if someone says a city “is dangerous or is a jungle, what they mean primarily is that they do not feel safe on the sidewalks.” Jacobs says that neighborhoods with active sidewalk life are typically the safe neighborhoods, while those with deserted sidewalks are the one that are unsafe. This seems to make sense to me as it is generally the rule of thumb I use walking through Atlanta. If I see a crowded street, I figure it is most likely safe for me to go down. If I see a deserted street, I conclude that it’s probably not the best idea for me to go down it alone. In order to make these sidewalks feel more safe, Jacobs suggests that more police presence be added or that the crowds of people be street out from some of the busier streets to some of the deserted one. I agree with Jacobs that neither of these options are a good solution. Added more police presence will not make the street safer, just as spreading out people will not fix the problem either. 

    Jacobs argues that this essentially comes down to the designer. The designer must create a space where people want/need to walk the streets on a daily basis. I think that Jacobs makes some good arguments, but I do not feel that her ideal setup is reality.