Building Like Moses with Jacobs in Mind: Contemporary Planning in New York City

Urban Life, Landscape, and Policy

by Scott Larson

aThe antagonism between urbanist and writer Jane Jacobs and master builder Robert Moses may frame debates over urban form, but in "Building Like Moses with Jacobs in Mind, " Scott Larson aims to use the Moses-Jacobs rivalry as a means for examining and understanding the New York City administration's redevelopment strategies and actions. By showing how the Bloomberg administration's plans borrow selectively from Moses' and Jacobs' writing, Larson lays bare the contradictions buried in such rhetoric and argues that there can be no equitable solution to the social and economic goals for redevelopment in New York City with such a strategy.a "Building Like Moses with Jacobs in Mind" offers a lively critique that shows how the legacies of these two planners have been interpretedOCoand reinterpretedOCoover time and with the evolution of urban space. Ultimately, he makes the case that neither figure offers a meaningful model for addressing stubborn problemsOCopoverty, lack of affordable housing, and segregation along class and racial linesOCothat continue to vex today's cities.

Genres: Urban Planning

199 pages, Unknown Binding

First published May 1, 2013

About the author

Dr. Scott Larson is the co-founder of Straight Ahead Ministries and a leading voice in juvenile justice ministry. He has authored 13 books, developed a transformative engagement model for high-risk youth, and trains professionals nationwide. He holds a doctorate in leadership and teaches at Gordon College and Gordon-Conwell Seminary.