Jane Jacobs

http://www.preservenet.com/studies/index.html

http://www.ideasthatmatter.com/

http://www.janejacobs.tyo.ca/

http://www.janeswalk.net/

In 1961 Jane Jacobs’s famous book “Death and Life of Great American Cities” was published. It begins, “This book is an attack on current city planning and rebuilding (…) It is an attack, rather, on the principles and aims that have shaped modern, orthodox city planning”. With this radical approach Jane Jacobs challenged the discipline of urban planning. In 2011 we will celebrate this famous book’s 50th anniversary. Ever since her first book was published there has been discussion on whether she should be called “urban hero” or “trouble maker”. Other publications variously refer to her as “Queen Jane”, an “urban visionary“, “anti planner”
or even “urban guru”.

The myth that grew around her was based on her book as well as her work in the grassroots movements of New York City where she (and others) fought against slum clearances and Robert Moses’ highway construction
projects that were planned to cut through urban neighbourhoods. In 1968, as this approach to urban renewal was slowly beginning to change in New York City she and her family moved to Toronto to avoid her two sons being drafted into the Vietnam War. On her arrival in Canada she was celebrated as “our Jane” and soon accepted as the expert on urban issues and urban renewal. Jane Jacobs’s approach in all her publications was unusual; she did not work with statistics and maps, but aimed simply to “seek the truth from the facts”. A recent article claimed that, “she had more enemies than any American woman”. In her last book Jane Jacobs referred to a paradigm shift, although not to the one she had influenced. She calls
planning a “pseudoscience”, but how could a layperson like Jane Jacobs, who was not part of any scientificnetworks, develop new paradigms?

Today many theorists and practitioners are thinking about a new paradigm shift in the current period of rapid globalisation and neoliberal as well as deregulated approaches to planning. In this context it is useful to reflect on the background and context of paradigm shifts and their chief players and theoreticians. The discussions to be held during this conference will not be limited to the North American perspective. Not only did Jane Jacobs’s ideas and influence cross the Atlantic and reach Europe, they also influenced urban planning and urban renewal worldwide. For this reason we want the conference to open up a transnational as well as transdisciplinary discussion of Jane Jacobs’s work.

The conference language is English.         <link fileadmin documents jj_flyer_mail.pdf download file>PROGRAM

Location:
hamburgmuseum
Holstenwall 24, 20355 Hamburg
U- and S-Bahn stop “Landungsbrücken“

Registration
Mail or Fax to:
christina.blume@hcu-hamburg.de
dirk.schubert@hcu-hamburg.de
HafenCity University Hamburg
Winterhuder Weg 29
D-22085 Hamburg
fon +49 40 428 27 - 45 13
fax +49 40 428 27 - 45 16

Make payment to:
HafenCity Universität Hamburg
Bank account: 20 001 564
BLZ: 20 000 000 Deutsche Bundesbank
IBAN: DE 55 200 000 000 020 001 564
Swift Code: MARKDEF1200
Reference / Verwendungszweck:
Tagung „Queen Jane Jacobs“

Name of participant:
All participants will receive abstracts of all
presentations and CVs. Coffee, tea and water
on both days in the morning and in the afternoon
are included in the fee of 60 € and 30 €
for students.

As there are only about 60 places for participants
the number is limited and registration will be
made on first come first registered basis.