Jane Jacobs
![](/Images/godic/202501/21/Jane_Jacobs0925.jpg")
![Jacobs fought to prevent Washington Square Park, pictured, from being demolished for a highway](/Images/godic/202501/21/Washington_Square_Park_020926.jpg")
![Jacobs lived at 69 Albany Avenue (white porch) in Toronto's Annex for 35 years](/Images/godic/202501/21/Jane_Jacobs_home_Toronto0926.jpg")
![Jacobs with Ecotrust foreman Spencer Beebe in Portland, Oregon, 2004](/Images/godic/202501/21/Jane_Jacobs_and_SBB0926.jpg")
Jane Jacobs OCOOnt (born Jane Butzner; May 4, 1916 – April 25, 2006) was a Canadian and American journalist, author, and activist best known for her influence on urban studies. Her influential book The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) argued that urban renewal did not respect the needs of most city-dwellers. The book also introduced sociology concepts such as "eyes on the street" and "social capital".