How a Soviet microdistrict reproduces the mistakes described by Jane Jacobs in "The Death and Life of Great American Cities"
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55287/22275398_2026_58_163Keywords:
microdistrict, block, urban planning, functionality, streetAbstract
In her book "The Death and Life of Great American Cities", Jane Jacobs describes four key principles of successful urban planning using American cities as examples: mixed use, short blocks, diverse building stock, and high street density. She supports these principles with real-life scenarios, observations of urban street life, and statistical data. An analysis of these principles shows that Soviet residential neighborhoods violated each of them. Looking back at the experience of Soviet urban planners, we can identify the systemic problems of existing microdistrict and take them into account when designing modern urban environments. This article examines the four main mistakes pointed out by Jane Jacobs.
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