Advance Praise for What We See: Advancing the Observations of Jane Jacobs:

“In this new book are the testimonials of Jane’s ‘children.’ These folks, in their writing and work, are building on what she began back in the ’60s. It’s taken a long time, but it’s happening.”

— David Byrne, musician, artist, and author of Bicycle Diaries

“It’s as if Jane Jacobs’ bright eye hadn’t dimmed, that she’s still startling us with her predictably unpredictable insights into what needs to be done to protect and cultivate wondrous, live cities. In the hands of this book’s essay writers, new thoughts sprout, all as true to Jane’s spirit and inventive urbanity as the gardens (intellectual and physical) she cultivated in her lifetime.”

—Neal Peirce, Chairman, The Citistates Group, journalist, and author of Boundary Crossers: Community Leadership for a Global Age

“This book is a passionate celebration: a delicious international and interdisciplinary banquet of offerings to honor the passionate and multifaceted work of our beloved urbanist, Jane Jacobs.”

—Wendy Sarkissian, PhD, author of Kitchen Table Sustainability and Creative Community Planning

“How can one resist cheering on this urban original? As one reads these essays by the thoughtful and dedicated people Jane Jacobs inspired through her writing, her organizing, her telephone calling, her patternspotting, her sidewalk ballets, we see how she and our neighborhoods live on through her ideas.”

—Victor S. Navasky, Publisher Emeritus, The Nation, and author, A Matter of Opinion

“Jane Jacobs’ work wouldn’t have been complete if it hadn’t inspired others to carry it on, and evolve Jane’s groundbreaking accomplishments so that the essential kernel of thought remains relevant for future generations. The essayists in What We See have built on those essential footholds that people who have never heard of Jane Jacobs will benefit from for decades.”

—Majora Carter, founder, Sustainable South Bronx; winner, Rachel Carson Award and Paul Wellstone Award

“Exuberant, stimulating collection of essays on a person who would be a saint or even an angel sent to us to uncover what really helps us to be alive in our communities. There is no better place to start than this book to see the wisdom Jane Jacobs so astutely covered almost 50 years ago. We are at the precipice of a new era and Jane Jacobs and her aficionados can show us what it could look like. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”

—Fred Kent, President, Project for Public Spaces

“What We See is a moving and enlightening tribute to the ideas and methods of Jane Jacobs from a diverse set of authors, many of whom knew and revered Jane. Together the essays offer a portrait of this revolutionary thinker that will inspire others to observe closely, contemplate broadly, and engage civically.”

—Glenna Lang, co-author of Genius of Common Sense

“The Jane Jacobs legacy lives on, in this extraordinary collection of essays. The reflections on this remarkable woman, and the still-unfolding project of city-building today, are a joy to read.”

—Anthony Flint, author of Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took On New York’s Master Builder and Transformed the American City

“I had never understood quite so clearly the effective power of Jane Jacobs’ writing… That if you take the time to look, to really observe, then you see what is happening and with the clarity of that vision you can act to save neighborhoods.”

—Nancy Milford, scholar, lecturer, and author of Zelda and Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay

“Just in its title, What We See telegraphs the most important point Jane Jacobs ever made—don’t go into a city environment with preset notions of how things are supposed to work; instead, enter the space with as open a mind as you can muster and seek to observe how things actually work. What We See is a report … to tell Jane what we learned and how it has changed our cities and our lives.”

—Keith Bartholomew, Assistant Professor, College of Architecture + Planning, University of Utah, and coauthor, Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change