I'm Steve Ember with IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.
Two influential thinkers of the 20th century have died. John
Kenneth Galbraith, the economist, died on April 29th at the age of
97. Jane Jacobs, a defender of cities, died April 28th at the age of
89.
Jane Jacobs believed cities should be densely populated
and full of different people and activity. She believed in the value of natural
growth. She opposed the kind of city planning that involves big development and
renewal projects that tear down
old communities.
She is best known for her book "The Death and Life of Great American
Cities" published in 1961. Another book was "The Nature of Economies." Yet
she never finished college.
Jane Jacobs was an activist in New York City. Her work defeated a road plan
to build a big highway through the Greenwich Village area.
She was also against the war in Vietnam. She had sons almost old enough to
be called for duty. In 1968, the family moved to Canada. But she
remained a community activist. Soon she was fighting a road plan in Toronto.
Jane Jacobs had critics, and some people think it is time for other theories.
But urban planning experts say her ideas shaped modern thinking about cities.
For example, she supported mixed-use buildings as a way to increase social
interaction. People live on the upper floors. The ground level has stores and
offices.
Mixed-used buildings are a lot more common in American cities than in
the suburbs around them. But most population growth since World War Two has
taken place in suburban areas. By 2000, the Census Bureau says, half the
population lived in suburbs.
Jane Jacobs was born in the United States but lived and died in Canada. John
Kenneth Galbraith was born in Canada but lived and died in the United States.
Among his best-known books is "The Affluent Society" from
1958. He wrote that American society had too many goods but not enough
social services that show people care about each other. He warned about widening
divisions between the very rich and the very poor.
John Kenneth Galbraith believed in the power of government to improve lives.
He believed in a system of progressive taxes, and in public support for the arts
and government involvement in education. He also supported the idea of public
ownership of housing and medical services.
A Democrat two meters tall, he advised presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to
Lyndon Johnson. He also advised officials in other countries. He was ambassador
to India and taught economics at Harvard University for many years.
Experts say John Kenneth Galbraith and Jane Jacobs led many to question not
only how and where they want to live and work. It also led them to wonder what
kind of society they wanted to leave for their children.
IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English was written by Nancy
Steinbach. I'm Steve Ember.
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