After twenty years of correspondence, conversation, and friendship with Jane Jacobs, Richard Keeley has written a unique and fascinating analysis of her ideas and methods. Although literature on Jacobs most often focuses on her seminal work The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Keeley probes six of Jacobs's often neglected subsequent books–including two written in dialogue–that offer explorations of economics and ethics as well as urban dynamics. In Exploring the Thought of Jane Jacobs: The Conversation of Cities, Keeley skillfully guides us through Jacobs's rich and complex thought, organized by theme, and suggests ways we could apply her insights to our current and future circumstances.

Glenna Lang, author of Jane Jacobs's First City: Learning from Scranton, Pennsylvania and Genius of Common Sense: Jane Jacobs and the Story of The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Coming from a rigorous appreciation of Jane Jacobs's work and enhanced by a decades-long personal connection, Richard Keeley brings her uniquely humane perspective into a new light, alive again. It is needed now more than ever. This is a must read for every architect and planner who cares about how the ecology of our communities might be nourished by design.

Barry Svigals, FAIA, Partner Emeritus, Svigals + Partners, an FCA Company