Cities and the Wealth of Nations: Principles of Economic Life
by Jane Jacobs
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Description
In this eye-opening work of economic theory, Jane Jacobs argues that it is cities--not nations--that are the drivers of wealth. Challenging centuries of economic orthodoxy, in Cities and the Wealth of Nations the beloved author contends that healthy cities are constantly evolving to replace imported goods with locally-produced alternatives, spurring a cycle of vibrant economic growth. Intelligently argued and drawing on examples from around the world and across the ages, here Jacobs show more radically changes the way we view our cities--and our entire economy. show lessTags
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Member Recommendations
EerierIdyllMeme MacLeod's stories illustrate, on a very human level, communities created by and suffering from the economic phenomena described by Jacobs.
Member Reviews
Much as I loved _Death and Life_, I just couldn't get through this one. There were a lot of interesting ideas, and I wish I'd read this before struggling to write something about cities and economics and theory in grad school -- she ties together some interesting threads on that one. But her autodidacticism, which served her so well in _Death and Life_ (whose thesis called chiefly for keen observation of things available for anyone to see), doesn't work here -- I keep wondering if she's out of her depth. Things didn't ring true, and I got annoyed and never did read the last few chapters.
The first chapter is a standard review of basic economic theoriests, in which Jacobs sets the stage for a thesis that ranges over many centuries and the world. When production drops one place and the former workers are not provided for there is major econommic hardship. Jacobs has many tidbits of "did you know"s...that the Isle of Man and Iceland had parliaments before Great Britain, and Uraguay was once a thriving country.
Brilliantly simple explanation what makes the solid base of the economy.
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Author Information
16+ Works 7,921 Members
Jane Jacobs lives in Toronto. (Publisher Provided) Author and community activist Jane Jacobs was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania on May 4, 1916. She spent two years at Columbia University in the School of General Studies. She was interrogated by the U.S. government over her loyality to the country on March 25, 1952 and was arrested during a show more demonstration against the Vietnam War on April 10, 1968. She also helped defeat a plan, proposed by the New York City park commissioner Robert Moses, to build an expressway through Washington Square in the early 1960s. She moved to Toronto in 1969 partially because of her objection to the Vietnam War. She became a Canadian citizen in 1974. Her most influential book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, is a critique of 1950's urban renewal policies which, according to her, destroyed communities and created isolated, unnatural urban spaces. She received numerous honors including a lifetime achievement award from the National Building Foundation in 2000 and was appointed to the Order of Canada in 1996. In 1997, the Jane Jacobs prize was created by the City of Toronto at the Jane Jacobs: Ideas That Matter conference. She died on April 25, 2006 at the age of 89. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Cities and the Wealth of Nations: Principles of Economic Life
- Original publication date
- 1984
- Dedication
- This book is for Jason Epstein, who has waited so long for it with good humor and good counsel
- First words
- For a little while in the middle of this century it seemed that the wild, intractable, dismal science of economics had yielded up something we all want: instructions for getting or keeping prosperity.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)They deteriorate.
- Blurbers
- Fox, Edward W.
Classifications
- Genres
- Economics, Nonfiction, Sociology, General Nonfiction, History
- DDC/MDS
- 330.91732 — Society, government, & culture Economics Jobs & Careers Economic geography and history Other Geographic Classifications Socioeconomic Regions By Population Density Urban
- LCC
- HT321 .J319 — Social sciences Communities. Classes. Races Communities. Classes. Races Urban groups. The city. Urban sociology The city as an economic factor. City
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 575
- Popularity
- 50,778
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (4.10)
- Languages
- Catalan, English, French, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 9
- ASINs
- 5
