What We See celebrates the life and work of urbanist Jane Jacobs through the essays of thirty renowned community organizers and planners, activists, journalists, scholars, economists, urban ecologists, politicians, and other public figures, who contemporize and build on her ideas about community-based planning, community building, and urban economies.

Turning an eye to their own streets and concerns, contributing authors explore the relevance of Jacobs' insights on the essential components of a vibrant community: interconnectivity, cultural and economic diversity, walkability, mixed-use design, civic participation, and environmental responsibility. Jane Jacobs turned twentieth-century city planning on its head by observing that the best-informed advisor in matters of urban planning and policy is the community itself. In the same spirit, each author has been challenged to discard tired theories about cities and look afresh.

The resulting collection of original essays presents a multi-dimensional perspective on the twenty-first century city, mapping out dead-end routes we've taken to reach our current urban woes and the best paths to community vitality.

Among them: urban designer Allan Jacobs describes in detail the modest makings of a great street in Toronto; urban critic and native New Yorker Roberta Brandes Gratz introduces "urban husbandry," the organic place-making process of restoring local economies and preserving neighborhoods through citizen initiatives; and Jaime Lerner, who transformed crime-ridden barrios of Curitiba, Brazil, into world-renowned models of sustainability, writes with gusto about strategic interventions he calls "urban acupuncture."

A book for anyone seeking practical, ecological guidance for bringing communities and their economies back from the edge.