In a city full of prospective strangers, consistently active streets and sidewalks create a safer urban environment and a more comfortable as well as secure neighborhood. As said by Jane Jacobs “there must be eyes upon the street”(Jacobs 35). In her book “The Death and Life of Great American Cities”, Jacobs dives deeper into the concept of eyes upon the street as she describes those eyes as “natural proprietors”(35), speaking of their importance in relation to the sidewalk and the safety of an urban community. In the text Jacobs points out how cities are reflections of their streets and sidewalk, thus “if a city’s streets are safe from barbarism and fear, the city is thereby tolerably safe from barbarism and fear.”(30). Ever since we are …show more content…
The protection of the street is executed by people living their everyday lives while subconsciously monitoring the on goings of the activities taking place on the streets they travel. As said by Jane Jacobs “the safety of the streets works best, most casually, and with least frequent taint of hostility or suspicion precisely where people are using and most enjoying the city streets voluntarily and are least conscious, normally, that they are policing.”(36). This normally takes the form of foot traffic from stores, businesses, bars, etc. along the sidewalk. If people consciously policed each other it could possibly cause conflict, as people will feel uncomfortable with the idea of being constantly watched by others.
When a street reaches this level of security “the more strangers the merrier.”(40). During the night, lights shining on the sidewalk could be helpful as people may be commuting from a late job or activity. However they are only beneficial if there are still eyes on the street. As said by Jacobs “good lighting augments every pair of eyes, makes the eyes count for more because their range is greater”(42) however, “Without effective eyes to see, does a light cast light? Not for practical