“Dull, inert cities, it is true, do contain the seeds of their own destruction and little else. But lively, diverse, intense cities contain the seeds of their own regeneration, with energy enough to carry over for problems and needs outside themselves.”

The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in downtown SF hosts a range of events from art openings to documentary screenings. This past weekend included a documentary that touches on the contributions that urban activist Jane Jacobs made for the city of New York, specifically against measures that the urban developer Robert Moses imposed in poverty-stricken areas.

Jane Jacobs spent the majority of her life as a writer exploring urban landscapes and the cities that she lived in, analyzing the characteristics that made them flourish and also fail. She documented this in her book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, known for dramatically opposing the urban development trends of the time. Jane Jacobs’ role as an activist and as a woman struck a chord with the communities that she lived in, and revolutionized the study of urban planning. Her remarkable story continues to make an impact in the way we structure and perceive cities. Check out the trailer below: