Customer Reviews

City: Rediscovering the Center

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This book is terrific because William Whyte doesn't relie on any theory. Instead, he logged countless hours watching street corners, public parks and plazas to see how people actually use them, and draws conclusions on how to make them better, safer, and useable. His ideas of planning public areas were first used to a great extent in redeveloping Bryant Park in NYC. Formally a haven for drug users, the city used his findings from this book and turned it into one of the city's most livable and exciting public areas. If only we could design all our streets and plazas with such good common sense!

In my opinion, part of being a successful business owner is learning about how your business is impacted by different influences. In City, Whyte discusses urban renewal and development and what is effective vs ineffective urban development as well as the impact it has on businesses. I learned a lot from this book and was able to apply some of it to a recent class on leadership that dealt with economic development. Economic development is definitely tied into urban development. This book explains a lot of that and also provides insights into the social life on the streets of any city.

This book is a very valuable supplement to Jane Jacobs' "The Death and Life of Great American Cities", but it is considerably longer than it should be, so that skimming is a must. Alternatively, you might begin with chapter 16, "The Rise and Fall of Incentive Zoning". Whyte's book was copyrighted in 1988, but it has not lost its relevance, no more than Jacobs' book has.

In zoning there is a tension between GOOD standards and allowing variances. In theory the latter is fine, but community groups/planners can succumb to pressures or "take ownership" of bad designs by being allowed to play with models and make suggestions, most all of which are subsequently ignored.

I now view plaza's in a new light. Do they allow for enough seating, if only on comfortable ledges at a proper height, are they easily accessible (few stairs), is there grass, trees, sculpture, or even fountains, are they within 3 blocks of high density concentrations of people, do they permit good views of street life (and visa versa for security)? Whyte talks of dysfunctional trash receptacles which did function as tables - I would add almost all plazas skimp on or totally lack tables. I wholeheartedly endorse Whyte's call for more public restrooms, even as part of zoning. Surprisingly, setbacks with arcades find little use (this is where Whyte's time lapse cameras had a role to play), as people will stick to the main sidewalk unless it is raining hard. Blank walls facing the street are anathema.

Tall buildings blocking the sun can create dark canyons, especially on side streets, and impact on plazas. Reflected light can be important, and the quantity and quality depends on the building facades, with porous surfaces best as in brownstones. Whyte suggests reflectors on skyscraper roofs.

As to gentrification, while it may have undesirable side effects, Whyte points out that more low rent housing was lost to abandonment than gentrification, and that most renters move frequently (both stats are based on New York city and are old).

I'd give it five stars as an urban planning book, but only four stars in comparison to Whyte's landmark The Organization Man, a truly great, but nearly forgotten book of the fifties.

The analysis of corporations moving from Manhattan to the suburbs, wherein Whyte plots distance from the CEOs home to the new headquarters is priceless.