Ideas of Jane Jacobs - Essay Example

Order No 194475 Topic: Economics/English Introduction Jacobs, Jane is American-born Canadian urbanologist d for her clear and original observations on urban life and its problems (Britannica Online Encyclopedia). In December 1985, Robert Lucas, a lecturer of the University of Chicago, delivered a speech to a skeptical audience at Cambridge in England (Warsh, 2007): “No single event in the last quarter century has been more transformative of technical economics than a lecture series about the nature of economic growth”. For the national development, cities should be developed economically, industrially and for that proper urban planning is essential that is emphasized by Jane Jacobs in her works. Technical economics, intension to invest and diversity of people and works should be inevitable part of the cities’ development as the way of nations; development. 2. Ideas of Janes Jacobs Jane Jacobs, was a fearless, vocal critic and iconoclastic urban activist who wrote a compelling argument against the tabula rasa Robert Moses-style “urban renewal” which was fashionable at the time? She explained utopian modernism in her book named “The Death and Life of Great American Cities in1961”. According to her view, residential high-rise development, expressways through city hearts, slum clearances, and desolate downtowns are one of the nastier by-products of utopian modernism. She pointed out economic development as the permanent way of eradicating poverty. Jane Jacobs, wrote “The Economy of Cities” in where she clearly pointed that “Poverty has no causes. Only prosperity has causes” (Snyder). Every individual is capable of earning money by taking part in labor force only for their necessities. As a moral thinker and economist she emphasized the following topics for improving cities such as, there must present of variety in matter of employment with those of localized industries. Diversity in works, people, and their way of life should be brought. Should maintain neighborhoods and local communities within cities? Should utilized natural resources and provide big open spaces? Yet, many urban planning experts agree that her work helped shape modern thinking about cities. The Jane Jacobs Medals will be given each year to two living individuals who exemplify the following values and ideas (The Rockfeller Foundation): Make New York City a place of hope and expectation that attracts new people and new ideas Challenge traditional assumptions and conventional thinking Promote dynamism, density and diversity Generate new principles for the way we think about development and preservation in New York City Take a common sense approach to complex problems Provide leadership in solving common problems Respect neighborhood knowledge Generate creative use of the urban environment 3. Development of Seoul The question why some countries remain poor and others are wealthy for decades. The first reason is the incapability of econometricians to determine the causes of economic growth and its pace. However, as Gregory Mankiw has observed, econometric analysis suffers from three problems: simultaneity, multicollinearity and degrees of freedom. The corruption is so high in some LCDs (less developed countries) that it hampers the economic growth. To determine the causes of economic growth we must first decide what method is. The South Korean Ministry of Trade and Finance expects the GDP of Northeast Asia, to account for 30 percent of global GDP by 2020. A premier location will be created by the development team of Korea for establishing multinational firms. Johns Hopkins administered that by 2010 New half a million people evenly divided between Koreans and foreigners–will go to its children will study at schools run by Harvard’s Education faculty (Campbell, 2005). Seoul, the capital of South Korea, should be developed by sustainable urban planning. Urbanization is the notion of local people to come at cities. When people would have come at cities, diversity would have created in the field of jobs and necessities. In order to ensure their requirements, apposite urban planning is a much. As a capital of Korea, Seoul should be developed by providing residential, health, recreational and new jobs amenities as well as the formation cultures of newly streets and parks. For the implementing of those amenities, Jane Jacobs emphasized to increase urban residential buildings, to provide energy efficiency and sharp use of resources. She mentioned to retain social interaction and a sense of community that are far cry in the age of urbanization. Now South Korea has advance communication technology that led to the formation of more interactive communities and sustainable. Healthy sand sustainable urban density has been designed to support and encourage further interaction, could be transformative on a social level. She opposed to make highway for massive building expansion projects as it has environmental penalty such as a rise in air pollution and worsening health conditions of its citizens. Example can be stated here During Seoul’s economic boom in the 1960s, the CheongGyeCheon stream, a major waterway running through the city center, was covered in concrete and replaced with a four-lane highway, to make way for massive building expansion projects. But with the highway came environmental consequences: a rise in air pollution and deteriorating health conditions of its citizens (Cheonggyecheon). And she believed these policies destroyed existing inner-city communities and their economies (VOA). So modern city planning should be formed such a way that can maintain relationship between inner-city communities and their economies and can create natural city areas. 4. Cities Development and Wealth of Nations: Jacobs Idea Jane Jacobs theory was obviously mentioned two approaches to urban planning. He argued short blocks, old buildings (i.e. cheap space), and high density–are the necessary ingredients to create and sustain diversity. She argued to come across new mechanism which is only possible if economic growth is possible. But it is also essential to accumulate more and more old works. A city connects a variety of tools and techniques for the economic development, i.e., cities invest in infrastructure improvements, they make low interest loans available to businesses and developers, and they advertise supported to a great extent by federal and state funds and by local groups such as a chamber of commerce (Reeve, 1963). When new works would have adapted, local economies came into effect in those works. Because local economic development gradually brings cities development the most important reason for the reorganization of old works is that it helps increase per capita GDP. The pursuit of economic development is easier for some cities than others. In 1987, the Incorporation Magazine ranked all of the metropolitan areas in the United States on the basis of the three factors: a) job generation; b) the rate of significant new business start-ups; and c) the percent of young companies enjoying high growth rates. The wealth of nations whether increased or not is determined by GDP that can be increased by the formation of new work and the accumulation of old works. However productive cities are the foundation of all economic development as it offers the multiplicity of types of works, the levels of modernization, the markets, jobs, technology indispensable for persistent economic growth. Cities look to state government to provide infrastructure, low interest loan programmes, education, and job training, which contribute to the cities goals of more jobs and increased investment. Local government operates their economic development program within a context defined by state government ends the state commitment to educational quality and infrastructure sets the tone for local efforts. State laws, policies, and programmes influence the direction of local activities. Although states are the key players in economic development, it is important to remember that their programmes have a local impact. If a state is successful in attracting foreign investment the investment ends up in a particular jurisdiction. The same is true for the firms that a state assists with exports –they are located in a local jurisdiction of some sort. So cities are sources of economic growth that paves the way of the nations development by implementing wealth of nations properly. 5. Problems For the city delopment the most obstacle referred by Jacob’s research is that that city planners and architects had not taken the time to observe how cities functioned instead of they preconceived how cities should function urbanization brings economics growth .But urban planners do take it into consideration the way by which urbanization functioned and can be implemented. With the process of urbanization, problems would have increased with the development of economic activities. Slums are the living places of those people in where poverty is their best companion as well as the lacking of proper services such as clean water, sanitation, pure air and the safety of well-planned city and the increase of crime. According to the recent estimation of the United Nations, one billion will live in unplanned settlements among three billion people who live in cities now. These are areas of poverty, slums that generally lack basic services like clean water, or even permanent housing. The report says more than sixty million people are added to cities and surrounding areas each year, mostly in slums in developing countries (Cities). 6. Solution At first she said to find out how urban economies grow and develop, to work in a particular ways by which new types of work can be evolved. It purports to test the ‘Jacobs hypotheses. It is argued that both main variables used, ‘national levels of urbanization and ‘per capita GDP growth, are mis-specified. In this situation the most obvious source of city economic growth is to export more to the other cities. New jobs would have created as well as the accumulation of old jobs. Poverty reductions are only possible by the investments in education, health care and other areas are estimated by the Policymakers. Proper use of human resources should be assured by providing human development training. Cities should be planned properly so that every class of people can hold equal facilities. As cities are the reflection of the development of the nation, so it should be developed technically and industrially that can be possible if the people of country are experiment, innovate productive and industries. This view is clearly described by Jane Jacobs as five inevitable ingredients such as society and kin, higher edification, science and technology, assessment and other governmental supremacy, and self-policing by learned professions. Korea has, as a part of its economic investments by continuously improving its system of incentives, because this helps it to require urgently needed technology especially in the high-tech field: the host country can absorb foreign technology and know-how introduced by foreign firm faster, because technology and know-how are determinants of the comparative advantages of the host countries (Hoo, 1982). For this reason, the increasing foreign exchange by obtaining export growth and imported raw materials. Industries are so-called to the Korean development key such as steel production, chemical and shipping industries getting started since the early 70’s. Cultural aggression should be prevented as it can harm the cities development as well as nation’s development. Because this aggressive Cultural destroys the resources upon which all citizens depend. After the Korean War ended in 1953, Korea was dependent on economic aid as it has only 4% economic growth for the lack of effective economic policy and heavy expenditures for military defense (50% of its entire national budget). Decreasing American aid, the Korea took five year plan and focused to established own industry (mostly textile). Korea’s strong growth performance was based on the following stances (Cherry, 1993): An outward- oriented, high investment strategy; Generally, prudent macro-economics policies; High domestic savings; and Continuous access to foreign loans and overseas markets. These above points facilitated rapid expansion, diversification of in export base, and increased integration of Korea into the international market. Criticism Although jane jacob’s is reputated for his cities development statreagy but he has Criticied in various ways by various thinkers. Jane Jacobs mentioned five inevitable ingredients for the cities development such as society and kin, higher edification, science and technology, assessment and other governmental supremacy, and self-policing by learned professions but he failed to explain. She only viewed to create new jobs but many thinkers suggested not only to create new jobs but also to accumulate old jobs. Conclusion Jane Jacobs actually described the development of urban as the way of nation’s development. Her works would have played a vital role for the development of cities and she had proper urban planning views in matter of nation’s developments. Seoul, the capital of South Korea, can be developed by implementing Jane Jacobs’ urban planning theory. The NYT has an article on urban thinker and writer, Jane Jacobs, who just passed away (The New York Times).  She was an iconoclast, calling into question many of the traditional notions of urban planning, urban economics, and the formation of cities (In Motion). Bibliography Britannica Online Encyclopedia, http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9043203/Jane-Jacobs Campbell, Sean. (2005). “Economic Development: Metropolis From Scratch: South Koreas New Songdo City”, The Urban/Rural Edge, The Urban/Rural Edge Iss. 8, Apr. 2005. http://americancity.org/article.php?id_article=116 Campbell, Sean. (2005). The Urban/Rural Edge (ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT).Scratch: South Koreas New Songdo City. Cheery, Judith. (1993). Republic of Korea. Cassel: New York, 1993. Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project, http://www.design21sdn.com/people/29/posts Cities, http://www.topblogarea.com/rss/Cities.htm Hoo, Bohn-Young. (1982). “New Forms of Foreign Investment in Korea”, KDI Working Paper Series 82-02. Jun. 1982, p. 4. In Motion, http://seoulover.blogs.com/westlaw/current_affairs/index.html Jboard, http://www.doojinhwang.pe.kr/jboard/?p=detail&code=activities&id=5&page=6 http://americancity.org/article.php?id_article=126 Reeve, W. D. (1963). The Republic of Korea: A political & Economic Study. Oxford University Press. 1963. Snyder, Travis. “Welfare; History, Results and Reform”, http://www.neoperspectives.com/welfare.htm (9/2/04) The New York Times.http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/25/books/25cnd-jacobs.html?pagewanted=4&ei=5090&en=a7a29ca1bd32a770&ex=1303617600&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss The Rockfeller Foundation, http://www.rockfound.org/efforts/jacobs/JacobsForm.aspx (29/11/2007) VOA, “Jane Jacobs, 1916-2006: Her Activism Helped Shape the Look and Feel of Cities”, retrieved from http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/archive/2007-01/2007-01-07-voa1.cfm Warsh, David. (2007). “The Road since ‘The Mechanics of Economic Development’,Economicprinciples.com. Sep. 23, 2007. http://www.economicprincipals.com/issues/07.09.23.html Weiss, Anthony. (2004). The Urban/Rural Edge. New York: Randomhouse, 2004. p. 256. http://americancity.org/article.php?id_article=126 Read More