RIP Jane Jacobs

Jane Jacobs passed away yesterday at the 89. I've read her two most recent books, The Nature of Economies and Dark Age Ahead, and they were both profoundly influenced the way I see the world. Hearing about her passing has caused me to reflect on her work and activism, and there are two things for which I really remember her: Jane Jacobs' detractors came from both the right and left ends of the political spectrum, which speaks to her ability to follow her own creative reasoning and avoid being dragged down by ideology, which is a ability I wish I could better develop; she always maintained that she was merely a "regular person" and if she had a gift it was being articulate--if this is the case it gives me hope that through articulate discussion and thought that the human race can better understand and improve the world we live in. The world needs more people like Jane Jacobs, and while we are the poorer for her loss, she left behind a significant body of work. I plan on reading The Death and Life of Great American Cities in the near future.