Jane Jacobs&#8217; legacy is so broad and complex I&#8217;m not going to attempt a big thinkpiece to mark her 100th birthday. In lieu of something long and wordy, I&#8217;ve got two short paragraphs and some images of the Robert Moses road&nbsp;monsters she slew in the 1960s. Car-centric planning&nbsp;was inimical to the things Jacobs valued most…

Thank God for Jane Jacobs the Highway Slayer

align

caption

credit

creditUrl

originalHeight

originalWidth

srcset

height

width

core/image

core/paragraph

Angie is a Cleveland-based writer with a background in planning and newspaper reporting. She has been writing about cities for Streetsblog for six years.

Angie Schmitt

Jane Jacobs

Historical Photos of St. Louis Capture the Great Violence of “Urban Renewal”

Elana Schor

Planetizen Unveils Its Top 100 Urban Thinkers

Ryan Avent

Car Culture

What Should We Learn From Moses and Jacobs?

Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York&#8217;s dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.

Brad Aaron

Still Time to Submit Jane Jacobs Medal Nominees

Aaron Naparstek is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Naparstek&#8217;s journalism, advocacy and community organizing work has been instrumental in growing the bicycle network, removing motor vehicles from parks, and developing new public plazas, car-free streets and life-saving traffic-calming measures across all five boroughs. He was also one of the original cast members of the &#8220;War on Cars&#8221; podcast. You can find more of his work <a href="http://www.naparstek.com">on his website</a>.

Aaron Naparstek

Who Are You Nominating for the 2008 Jane Jacobs Medal?

Events

Jane Jacobs: A Public Celebration

Awesome Categories

Streetsblog Basics

Streetsblog Network

Top Categories

Become a subscriber today to get unlimited access

Thanks for reading!

Please consider a tax-deductible gift by clicking here.

Streetsblog relies on the support of readers like you to bring you the exciting coverage we provide.

Streetsblog New York City

Tabloid legend Gersh Kuntzman has been with New York newspapers since 1989, including stints at the New York Daily News, the Post, the Brooklyn Paper and even a cup of coffee with the Times. He&#8217;s also the writer and producer of &#8220;Murder at the Food Coop,&#8221; which was a hit at the NYC Fringe Festival in 2016, and “SUV: The Musical” in 2007. He also writes the Cycle of Rage column, which is <a href="https://nyc.streetsblog.org/category/special-features/cycle-of-rage">archived here</a>.

Gersh Kuntzman

Carnage

Drunk Driver Arrested In High-Speed Harlem Crash That Killed Cyclist, Injured Four Others

VIDEO: Reckless Driver Kills Cyclist, Injures Four Others in Harlem Crash That Shows Need For Speed Caps

Before joining Streetsblog, Sophia Lebowitz was a filmmaker and journalist covering transportation and culture in New York City.

Sophia Lebowitz

Government Organizations

Mamdani’s Regulatory War on Delivery Apps Under Threat Amid Budget Crunch

Dave Colon is a reporter from Long Beach, a barrier island off of the coast of Long Island that you can bike to from the city. It’s a real nice ride.  He’s previously been the editor of Brokelyn, a reporter at Gothamist, a freelance reporter and delivered freshly baked bread by bike.

Dave Colon

Parking

FLIP THE SWITCH: Brooklyn Panel Asks DOT To Take Over Parking Enforcement From NYPD

David was Streetsblog&#8217;s do-it-all New York City beat reporter from 2015 to 2019. He returned as an editor in 2023 after a three-year stint at the New York Post.

David Meyer

Criminal Crackdown on Cyclists 2025

Fact Check: No, Mamdani Is Not Letting Bike Scofflaws ‘Off the Hook’

Today's Headlines

Friday’s Headlines: Nice on Ninth Edition

Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.