The Economy of Cities (Mass Market Paperback)

by Jane Jacobs (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The Economy of Cities is an astonishing book. It blows cobwebs from the mind, and challenges assumptions one hadn't even realized one had made. It should prove of major importance."

-- Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times

"This book is radiant with ideas about what makes cities rich or poor, how cities grow, and how city growth affects national economies."

-- The New Yorker

"What Mrs. Jacobs has done ... is to begin to formulate a badly needed urban myth for our now almost urbanized society...."

-- Herbert J. Gans, New Republic

"The book is... timely, and if it will irritate some of the experts it will also help bring some neglected issues and theories into public focus. This ... has always been Mrs. Jacobs' most notable taient and her most constructive contribution."

-- Charles Abrams, The New York Times Book Review -- Review

Review
"The Economy of Cities is an astonishing book. It blows cobwebs from the mind, and challenges assumptions one hadn't even realized one had made. It should prove of major importance."

-- Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, The New York Times

"This book is radiant with ideas about what makes cities rich or poor, how cities grow, and how city growth affects national economies."

-- The New Yorker

"What Mrs. Jacobs has done ... is to begin to formulate a badly needed urban myth for our now almost urbanized society...."

-- Herbert J. Gans, New Republic

"The book is... timely, and if it will irritate some of the experts it will also help bring some neglected issues and theories into public focus. This ... has always been Mrs. Jacobs' most notable taient and her most constructive contribution."

-- Charles Abrams, The New York Times Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (February 12, 1970)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039470584X
• ISBN-13: 978-0394705842
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #122,215 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on Economic Development ever written, March 11, 2000

By	Lancelot R. Fletcher (Tbilisi, Georgia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The title of this book is slightly misleading, because the thesis of the book is that cities play an essential role in the process of economic development. Although its anecdotal style gives this book a disarmingly unsystematic appearance, this is a profound book. It is easily one of the most important books written during the 20th century. Economic development is something about which conventional marginal utility economics has very little to say. The Economy of Cities, therefore, fills a kind of void. It stands to conventional economics in much the same position as quantum physics stands to classical physics.

A simply wonderful book.

Lancelot Fletcher [e-mail]

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still relevant, could use a new edition, October 26, 2005

By	Paula L. Craig (Falls Church, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book has some great insights but is getting a bit outdated. I thought the section on the origin of agriculture was fascinating stuff, but I'd like to know how Ms. Jacobs' theories square with recent research.

The comparison of Manchester and Birmingham was great. I think Ms. Jacobs is basically correct with her analysis of what it takes to make a vibrant, prosperous city. Her basic recommendations for city layout--small, short blocks, high concentrations of people walking, a mix of buildings of various types and ages--are very good. She is right on point with her criticism of urban renewal programs and freeways.

Ms. Jacobs' analysis of how business development occurs is fun to read and very relevant to today. She makes it very clear that rural towns that try to develop by attracting a local assembly plant or the like for a large company are barking up the wrong tree.

The book has some problems. Ms. Jacobs dismisses problems with resource depletion far too easily as the product of a stagnant economy. She also dismisses population growth, seeing it as a symptom of a growing economy, not a problem. There is of course some truth to this, but in my opinion migration is perfectly adequate to take care of local labor shortages. The side effects of nationwide and worldwide population growth are too severe to be treated lightly as Ms. Jacobs does.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Right Kind of Economic Development, March 3, 2000

By	John (Rockville Centre, NY) - See all my reviews

This volume is a perfect sequel to Jacobs' first and most famous book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. While that volume explores the characteristics of vital urban areas, The Economy of Cities describes the economic mechanisms that fuel urban prosperity. It is a shame, though, that so few policy leaders heed Jacobs' analysis. If they did, society would have fewer half-witted economic development scemes like athletic stadiums and more intitatives that foster human innovation.