Around the time (1961) Jane Jacobs was writing her book about cities, cities were reacting to many unpleasant issues. Skid row, for instance, was part of many downtowns home to drunks and vagabonds. A trend to suburban living had already led many people to focus their energies on the city’s limits; urban planners feared these litter-ridden blocks chased average folks from frequenting the area.
The solution? Raze to the ground the whole Gateway District of downtown.
Jacobs also comments on freeway expansions, parks, foot traffic, the impact of large institutions like hospitals, neighborhood interaction, and so much more. Her work is more about the questions about how neighborhood life works—what are they, and is there a logic to them?
The Northwestern National Life Building was built in the Gateway district in 1965.
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