Activist, author and academic, Jane Jacobs is a landmark figure in urbanism. She penned the well-known ‘The Death and Life of Great American Cities’ and her works have contributed to numerous academic fields.
Born in Pennsylvania in 1916, this year marks 100 years since her birth. As such there have been commemorations around the globe celebrating her contributions, including a conference held at TU Delft May 24 – 25 titled Jane Jacobs 100: Her legacy and relevance in the 21st century.
Organised by the Chair of Spatial Planning and Strategy of TU Delft, in coordination with the departments of OTB and Urbanism of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment (BK) and Erasmus University College, the conference was held over two days at BK City. In his welcoming address organiser and Assistant Professor of Spatial Planning Roberto Rocco stated the conference was organised to “celebrate one of the few people in urbanism we can call a hero”, adding that it is also important to engage critically with her ideas and legacy. Keynote speaker and author of Becoming Jane Jacobs Professor Peter Laurence also echoed this sentiment, telling Delta, “it is important to celebrate Jane Jacobs and her legacy, to memorialise this date, but it is as important to talk about her ideas in serious depth.”
A notable addition to the conference was an installation organised by a new campus group, TU Delft Feminists, to protest the lack of diversity in keynote speakers, an issue covered previously in Delta. Chairs with the names of relevant female academics that could have been present stood next to the speakers’ podium. In his welcome Rocco explained the reason for these chairs and apologised for the gender imbalance, telling attendees “we welcome the protest.” Group member and BK master’s student Brigitte O’Regan explained the importance of their action in challenging implicit gender bias in panels, adding that Rocco was accommodating to their protest. Laurence said that this type of protest puts pressure on academia and “that sort of pressure is very much in Jane Jacobs’ spirit”.
Laurence and the other keynote speakers, Professor Dirk Schubert and Professor Arnold Reijndorp all gave presentations the first day of the conference offering different insights into Jacob’s herself and her influence in today’s modern cities. There was also a special lecture held in Rotterdam on the 23rd with David Miller, the former mayor of Toronto. In addition to these presentations there were six tracks, tackling everything from ‘Chinese Cities’ to ‘Safety in the Public Space’, and a ‘Jane’s Walk’, an urban walking tour through parts of Rotterdam.
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