Cities 07

I found the two articles from Jayne Jacobson that we read to be very interesting.
In “The uses of sidewalks: contact”, she was able to point out just how important sidewalks are to the physical as well as social structure of cities. Jacobs’ point that the “eyes of the city” are what essentially determines how safe the area is reminded very much of the Abu-Lughod article “The Islamic City”. Whereas Abu-Lughod noted the functions of “bent entrances designed to create a visual blind spot” in order to protect the social values of the privacy of female life, Jacobs highlights the function of having houses that face the street in order to allow people to visually police any possible crime going on outside in their neighborhood.
Both articles give us great examples of how the architecture of a city can work to have very social functions; the structure of how buildings are built in city areas can make or break the social fabric of that area. In the Islamic city the privacy of female life is to be protected by the narrow spaces between houses where women may complete their daily tasks without worrying about having to be completely veiled. In the American city, it is the physical well-being of all that reside in the area as well as that of any visitors coming through. In her discussion of the functions of sidewalks in cities, Jacobs notes the anonymity that it maintains as one of the defining characteristics of city life, and I think she is right on. City dwellers do often live very hectic lives, and the ability to go throughout your day without getting bothered by anyone is a luxury when you’ve got a lot you need to get done in a short amount of time. But at the same time, no one wants to completely avoid people, so the sidewalk provides a common place where people may
Jacobs’ discussion of the importance of the social distance maintained between people living in cities highlighted relationships which are often hard to recognize but nonetheless essential to smooth daily functioning for many. It is almost as if the social distance between people keeps them on guard of the streets in their neighborhood. Perhaps if everyone did know each other very well, this safety that is created by the self-policing of neighbors would collapse as no one would be curious anymore. Also, I think in her discussion Jacobs is hinting at the fact that anonymity also serves to maintain some important social boundaries. When roles in neighborhoods overlap when people become “too-well acquainted”, problems can arise. Sometimes that social distance is there for a very important reason it seems. Such as the storekeeper Jacobs mentions who holds keys for people in the neighborhood.