In 1961 the Modernist movement which had long been theoretical
and dormant in America’s architecture began to manifest in our
cities and effect people's lives. Europe’s Modernist
architecture blossomed after World War 2 as an optimistic
thriving economy emerged and as people craved a new modern
lifestyle. America has always relied on pragmatism and
individuality. The new technology and engineering possibilities
served to fulfill the dream of a home and car for each American
family. American families abandoned the cities and moved out to
the suburbs. Jane Jacobs moved to New York City from a small
town and wrote about her experience in the city as this movement
gained steam. Jacobs said that her jobs in the working district
“gave me more of a notion of what was going on in the city.” As
the modernists starting influencing how cities were planned,
Jacobs met them with contempt and became outspoken in her
criticism. The Death and Life of the Great American City
attacked New York City’s new Planning Commission le