Eyes On The Street

Even if you've never read The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs's 1961 masterpiece of urban observation and theory, you probably are aware of one of its key concepts: the value of "eyes on the street."

Jacobs wrote that in order for a street to be a safe place, "there must be eyes upon the street, eyes belonging to those we might call the natural proprietors of the street."

These words have been repeated countless times in the 50-plus years since Jacobs wrote them. But it is worth going back to the idea at this particular moment in history, and asking what those eyes are doing.