Jane Jacobs...
I just had my last day of summer class today, Hallelujah!!! But it's weird to think I still have two more months of summer left. Especially knowing that in two months I'll be on my way outside of the country for the first time.
In the meantime, the last book we read was Jane Jacobs' Life and Death of Great American Cities. I found this book to be probably one of my favorites from the class due to the fluidity to which it read and the subject matter itself. The book focuses on Jacobs' viewpoints on what makes a city, in particularly a neighborhood, successful or unsuccessful.
She narrows her focus down to neighborhoods and parks talking about how parks are a crucial part of merging public and private space among individuals. It is at places like these that we establish bonds with not only friends, but also strangers and other city dwellers that become important in maintaining safety and a working diverse society.
When I think back to my summer here in Philly, a lot of my time has been spent in parks doing just that. Especially in Rittenhouse, to which Jacobs mentions as probably the most successful park in Philadelphia.
Here we are playing a game called miniature tanks.
Soooo fun. Soooo ridiculous.
Completely pointless. ha.
All photos courtesy the lovely CW...
Awww, looks like some good old Philly fun! I'm glad you're alllll done with your class. I bet that's such a relief!
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