The Death and Life of Great American Cities - Chapter 9

In chapter nine Jacobs argues that smaller blocks make for a better neighborhood. She says that shorter blocks give pedestrians the opportunity to turn corners more often. This will not only make things more convenient for pedestrians but it will give businesses the opportunity to be more successful. People can take multiple routes to there destination finding more places to complete their business. On these alternate routes people will also meet others that they would not have met if they were taking the same route all the time. The smaller blocks help to bring the neighborhood together. On long blocks people don’t really know what’s on the blocks adjacent to them but with shorter blocks you can easily find out and use that to your advantage and the advantage of the community as a whole.