summary of Ch. 9

The topic of chapter 9 is the need for small blocks. How small blocks apply to the good primary mixtures and the successful of city diversity? Author tells us that long blocks isolates neighborhoods and it is not convenience for residents. There are pictures showing that residents use only one way to go somewhere every day because there are no other easy ways to choose. Long blocks baffle the development of the advantages in the city and it opposes the principle of the city mixtures use. Now the mixtures use happened only in the same street on the long blocks case. Jane suggests constructing the short blocks and there is an extra street between the blocks. This can get the good result of the mixture use and help the economic effect of the diversity use. She applies an example in Rockefeller plaza and shows that how it works well. “Like mixtures of primary use, frequent are effective in helping to generate diversity only because of the way they perform.” It means that when people use the street, they can attract more mixtures users and they did that can help accomplish the growth of diversity.