SummaryIn 1960 Jane Jacobs’s book The Death and Life of Great American Cities sent shockwaves through the architecture and planning worlds, with its exploration of the consequences of modern planners’ and architects’ reconfiguration of cities. Jacobs was also an activist, who was involved in many fights in mid-century New York, to stop “master builder” ... Read More
Directed By:Matt Tyrnauer
Citizen Jane: Battle for the City
Metascore
Generally Favorable
70
User score
Available after 4 ratings
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
70
85% Positive
11 Reviews
11 Reviews
15% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
May 18, 2017
83
While there’s the underlying notion of it telling us a captivating story from the annals of American history, it’s his depiction of the adversarial relationship between those making decisions and those affected by them that hits home.
Apr 21, 2017
80
Jacobs argued that what looks to officialdom like disorder is actually what makes a crowded human landscape function — it's just a more complex order. This compelling documentary lets you see the beauty she found in that complexity.
Apr 27, 2017
75
It’s a complicated tale, and at 92 minutes, the film is a very brief summary.
Apr 20, 2017
70
Tyrnauer transforms what could be a staid profile film into an urgent story about the dangers of “urban renewal,” something Jacobs herself would admire.
May 31, 2017
63
A bit more internal tussle would have both better honored her spirit and made for a better documentary.
Apr 20, 2017
50
Unfortunately, the climax comes with more than a half hour to go, and the film, losing its focus on Jane Jacobs, turns its attention to the urban-renewal plague that devastated cities across America.
User score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
67% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
33% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
May 9, 2017
8
This is a good summary of the impact of Jane Jacobs, citizen planner, giving us a history of the soulless "Radiant City" theory of planning, the damage it has done , and the damage it may yet do (in places like China). Although we are out of the era of massive U.S. expressway and housing project construction, it is important to know how we got there. I somehow wish there was more biographical detail on Jane herself and an illustration on how her theories worked in New York City neighborhoods. Yet this is a timely illustration on how citizen activism works and how it can change history.
Production Company:
- Altimeter Films
Release Date:Apr 21, 2017
Duration:1 h 32 m
Tagline:Fifty years ago, one women fought for the people of New York City.
Awards
Miami Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
Hamburg Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
Cinema Eye Honors Awards, US
• 1 Nomination
