Good City

Allan B. Jacobs has almost 60 years of active city planning and urban design practice, research and teaching experience in major American and world cities. He has served as San Francisco’s planning director during the 1960s and 70s, a period of both confrontation and historic urban design achievement. Prior to that Jacobs worked in Cleveland, Pittsburgh during its "renaissance" years, and Calcutta, India, before teaching at the University of Pennsylvania. He has consulted and worked in Curitiba, Brazil, Rome, Japan, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, Vancouver, and many US cities. Presently, he is Professor Emeritus at the Department of City and Regional Planning, University of California, Berkeley, and Professor in the Graduate School there.

"This is a candid, refreshing book, made even better by drawings that Jacobs has been making on sketch pads throughout his career. Read The Good City and you just might avoid making the world a more soulless place." - Better! Cities & Towns "Allan Jacobs is a great planner who cares deeply about cities and loves the people who inhabit them. His essays capture decades of observations and wisdom, and are an essential read for every urbanist" - Gary Hack, Professor of City & Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania, USA "The Good City is a personal panoramic tour taking us from Calcutta to San Francisco and covering over half a century. Its author, Allan Jacobs, the urban flâneur "par excellence," reflects on his experience observing cities. This is a must read for any urbanist." - Nezar AlSayyad, Professor of Architecture, Planning, and Urban Design, University of California, Berkeley, USA

• Part 1: Experiencing Cities An Introduction Part 2: Learning From Calcutta Why India Part 3: Learning in Italy Walls and Gates. Being Apart. Gianicolo Busts. Via Costa Masciarelli: A Question of Values Part 4: City People – Fragments Traffic Cop. Excellent! Immigrants. Practicing Part 5: Breaking and Making Community Cleveland and the Unmaking of City. The Etcher of Caprano. Liberty Bakery. Stopping By. Curitiba and the Making of Community Part 6: World Class Cities Memos on Pudong Part 7: City Certainties Traffic is Not a Problem. Parking is Not a Problem. Things Can Get Better or Worse. What You Believe Counts Part 8: San Francisco Reflecting on San Francisco. The Civil Service Giants Part 9: The Good City