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AlvinofDiaspar
Guest
Mayor David Miller's tribute, from CP24:
Farewell To A Friend
Like many in the city, Mayor David Miller was a fan of the late Jane Jacobs. He offered this touching tribute to the fallen city planner Tuesday, just moments before Council stood in silent tribute to all she’d accomplished.
“Like many Torontonians, Jane Jacobs chose Toronto. This was her city of choice, like more than half of the people who live in this city today.
“She treasured Toronto, and Toronto treasured her. And literally and figuratively, Jane Jacobs wrote the book on modern city building and most of the principles that we hold dear in how we approach city building came one way or another from Jane.
“She advocated for mixed-use development, the integration of different types of buildings, different uses, whether residence or business oriented, old or new.
"In “Death and Life of Great American Citiesâ€, she wrote that the most valuable thing in a city was an old building. And she said old ideas can sometimes use new buildings. New ideas need old buildings.
“And she was talking particularly about entrepreneurs who start new businesses in small store fronts, for example in cities like Toronto and New York.
"Jane was a champion of diversity, a diversity of buildings, residence, businesses and other nonresidential uses and different people of different ages in an area at different times of every day. She gave us eyes on the street.
“Her philosophy was a neighbourhood's safe, active, vibrant and economically successful when there are people there all day doing different things, from all backgrounds in life, and from all cultures.
"Jane was way ahead of her time. She saw cities, as in her words, "organic, spontaneous and untidy," and viewed the mingling of city uses and users as crucial to economic and urban development, and by understanding and dissecting how cities and their economies emerge and grow, she cast new light on the nature of local economies and communities.
“In 1997 the city of Toronto sponsored the conference Jane Jacobs: Ideas that Matter, which awarded the Jane Jacobs prize to, and I quote: "Celebrate Toronto's original unsung heroes, by seeking out citizens who are engaged in activities that contribute to the city's vitality."
“She believed that every city has to have the ability to astonish and surprise for its residents. And if it's a great place to live for its residents, it would astonish and surprise visitors as well.
"Her work has inspired generations of both urban planners and activists. And personally Jane was on my transition advisory group.
“She advocated for greater autonomy for the city of Toronto, which we're about to receive from the province; she supported broad revisions in Toronto's official plan; and she opposed and exposed the expansion of the Toronto Island Airport.
"I had the privilege to have tea with Jane a number of times, and I remember very clearly about three years ago, certainly in April three years ago, coming out of her house and thinking that Jane just had this incredible passion for Toronto and for city-building.
“And I said to my assistant at the time that I wished every single Torontonian felt the same way. Well, I've come to believe that every single Torontonian does have an incredible passion for our city and for city building, and in many ways the most fitting legacy of Jane Jacobs is the inspiration she has left in the hearts of all Torontonians for their city, for their neighborhood.â€
AoD
Farewell To A Friend
Like many in the city, Mayor David Miller was a fan of the late Jane Jacobs. He offered this touching tribute to the fallen city planner Tuesday, just moments before Council stood in silent tribute to all she’d accomplished.
“Like many Torontonians, Jane Jacobs chose Toronto. This was her city of choice, like more than half of the people who live in this city today.
“She treasured Toronto, and Toronto treasured her. And literally and figuratively, Jane Jacobs wrote the book on modern city building and most of the principles that we hold dear in how we approach city building came one way or another from Jane.
“She advocated for mixed-use development, the integration of different types of buildings, different uses, whether residence or business oriented, old or new.
"In “Death and Life of Great American Citiesâ€, she wrote that the most valuable thing in a city was an old building. And she said old ideas can sometimes use new buildings. New ideas need old buildings.
“And she was talking particularly about entrepreneurs who start new businesses in small store fronts, for example in cities like Toronto and New York.
"Jane was a champion of diversity, a diversity of buildings, residence, businesses and other nonresidential uses and different people of different ages in an area at different times of every day. She gave us eyes on the street.
“Her philosophy was a neighbourhood's safe, active, vibrant and economically successful when there are people there all day doing different things, from all backgrounds in life, and from all cultures.
"Jane was way ahead of her time. She saw cities, as in her words, "organic, spontaneous and untidy," and viewed the mingling of city uses and users as crucial to economic and urban development, and by understanding and dissecting how cities and their economies emerge and grow, she cast new light on the nature of local economies and communities.
“In 1997 the city of Toronto sponsored the conference Jane Jacobs: Ideas that Matter, which awarded the Jane Jacobs prize to, and I quote: "Celebrate Toronto's original unsung heroes, by seeking out citizens who are engaged in activities that contribute to the city's vitality."
“She believed that every city has to have the ability to astonish and surprise for its residents. And if it's a great place to live for its residents, it would astonish and surprise visitors as well.
"Her work has inspired generations of both urban planners and activists. And personally Jane was on my transition advisory group.
“She advocated for greater autonomy for the city of Toronto, which we're about to receive from the province; she supported broad revisions in Toronto's official plan; and she opposed and exposed the expansion of the Toronto Island Airport.
"I had the privilege to have tea with Jane a number of times, and I remember very clearly about three years ago, certainly in April three years ago, coming out of her house and thinking that Jane just had this incredible passion for Toronto and for city-building.
“And I said to my assistant at the time that I wished every single Torontonian felt the same way. Well, I've come to believe that every single Torontonian does have an incredible passion for our city and for city building, and in many ways the most fitting legacy of Jane Jacobs is the inspiration she has left in the hearts of all Torontonians for their city, for their neighborhood.â€
AoD