Centre for the Just City

In May 2016, we celebrated the 100th birthday of one of the most important urban thinkers of our time, someone who has influenced generations of designers and planners and others concerned with the built environment: the great Jane Jacobs.

Jacobs’ theories and ideas are central to many different academic fields: urban design, planning, architecture, sociology, human geography, environmental psychology, economic geography and many more. Her writings have been influential for more than five decades. This alone tells us of her importance for urban studies and for understanding the complex relationship between urban space and society. In the 21st Century, Jacobs has been criticized and some of her ideas have been reviewed. However,  she remains one of the most important urban thinkers today.