Questions for your discussion group after watching the movie…
1) In what ways could Jane Jacobs be considered a designer?
Jane Jacobs could be considered a designer as she worked towards "designing" a better New York City, fighting against the city planners who did not respect the needs of the citizens. She observed everything around her, constantly watching people and understanding connections between them, even if they seem very different. She was a journalist and used her writing to explore urban planning and community development, reimagining the city as a place that serves its people. She saw the soul and community of New York City through its citizens, paying attention to details that others didn't notice, like the designs on individual manhole covers.
2) What were three methods/tactics used by Jane Jacobs in her work to save Washington Square Park?
Jacobs worked with others to fight against the road planned to go through Washington Square Park. The first method she used was writing a letter to the mayor explaining how the highway would make the lives of the NYC residents worse. The road would disrupt their community by destroying an important area in their neighborhood. The second method she used was leading protests, presenting Moses to the public as a bully who did not have their best interests in mind. She got Eleanor Roosevelt to speak on behalf of their side which created a lot of public attention for the issue, specifically gathering the support of mothers. The third tactic she used was arranging public campaigns, like when she arranged for her daughter to hold a ribbon tying ceremony with another young child. It was a symbolic event in contrast to the usual “ribbon cutting ceremonies” demonstrating the community's vision of a city that prioritized people over cars, committing to continually working towards creating a better city for its citizens.
3) Identify and name similarities between the movie and the text. Identify and name differences between the two.
The movie and the text were similar because they both emphasized the importance of how a community, when working together towards the common benefit of each other, enriches its quality of life. The movie expresses that when the Moses Company, an individual, created a poor city plan it negatively impacted the citizens of New York City. In the “Spirit of Liberty" Jacobs expresses that freedom exists in the individuals, when these individuals work together for a common purpose they can make choices that benefit the community.
The movie and the text are different because the movie frames democracy as an act of participation while the text frames democracy as empathetic understanding. Jane Jacobs led a grassroots activism campaign against Moses' plan to put a highway through Washington Square Park. It was only through collective action that they were able to stop this. The text emphasizes the importance of putting one's own desires aside and thinking for the good of the community. It explains ultimately our freedom does not lie in the systems of government we have created, but within its people, working towards a common good.
4) Based on watching the movie and reading the required text (or one of the alternative texts provided), what is the role of the individual in a democracy? (Specifically, cite the reading in the response).
The role of the individual in a democracy is to understand that liberty is defined by one's own actions and beliefs. In order to continue to exist as part of a functioning democracy they must remember they are part of a collective and strive to understand their fellow individuals in society. The individual must work for the common good, as "the spirit of liberty is the spirit which weighs their interests alongside its own without bias; the spirit of liberty remembers that not even a sparrow falls to earth unheeded."
