Comments on: What Should We Learn From Moses and Jacobs? http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/09/09/what-should-we-learn-from-moses-and-jacobs/ Covering San Francisco's livable streets movement Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:15:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: soylatte http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/09/09/what-should-we-learn-from-moses-and-jacobs/comment-page-1/#comment-33391 soylatte Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:17:49 +0000 http://sf.streetsblog.org/?p=40331#comment-33391 "But as American cities have outgrown their infrastructure in recent decades, and as political institutions have proven unable to muster the energy necessary to construct great projects, Moses' reputation has enjoyed something of a recovery." Corrected version: "Despite American cities investing untold sums in the wrong kind of infrastructure that could never work, Americans tend to romanticize a tough SOB for "getting things done", even if it's one of the SOBs responsible for those woefully misguided infrastructure choices." “But as American cities have outgrown their infrastructure in recent decades, and as political institutions have proven unable to muster the energy necessary to construct great projects, Moses’ reputation has enjoyed something of a recovery.”

Corrected version:

“Despite American cities investing untold sums in the wrong kind of infrastructure that could never work, Americans tend to romanticize a tough SOB for “getting things done”, even if it’s one of the SOBs responsible for those woefully misguided infrastructure choices.”

]]> By: Andy Nash http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/09/09/what-should-we-learn-from-moses-and-jacobs/comment-page-1/#comment-33361 Andy Nash Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:40:10 +0000 http://sf.streetsblog.org/?p=40331#comment-33361 You are exactly right about the need for "city-oriented" infrastructure. One of the things that most struck me in reading Robert Caro's 'The Power Broker' was Moses' profound neglect of NY's public transport system. According to the book, Moses had the opportunity to make a relatively small investment in rebuilding the rapid transit network during the 1950s. This investment would have completely changed NY development patterns and significantly improved quality of life for all New Yorkers. Instead the rapid transit network was allowed to decline until billions were needed to rebuild it starting in the late 1970s. What a missed opportunity. You are exactly right about the need for “city-oriented” infrastructure. One of the things that most struck me in reading Robert Caro’s ‘The Power Broker’ was Moses’ profound neglect of NY’s public transport system. According to the book, Moses had the opportunity to make a relatively small investment in rebuilding the rapid transit network during the 1950s. This investment would have completely changed NY development patterns and significantly improved quality of life for all New Yorkers. Instead the rapid transit network was allowed to decline until billions were needed to rebuild it starting in the late 1970s. What a missed opportunity.

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