Cities Need More Jane Jacobs, Less Marc Jacobs

Graphic designer Mike Joyce is unhappy that every store and restaurant that he loved in Greenwich Village is being pushed out of business by chains and franchises like Starbucks, Ralph Lauren and yes, Marc Jacobs. He pushes back with a brilliant little guerrilla campaign, and is interviewed by Jeremiah Moss, who writes "a bitterly nostalgic look at a city in the process of going extinct."

Jane Jacobs

He faces a couple of problems, including that fact that everyone takes him a bit too literally thinking he is specifically attacking Marc Jacobs, and surprisingly,

Probably the biggest question I am asked is "Who's Jane Jacobs?"
But I definitely understand that counterpoint and to those people I have two things to say. One, it is absolutely not meant to be a personal statement against Marc Jacobs. I actually like some of the store's window displays and think he and his team are really talented designers. And two, don't be so literal! It's a play on words to reflect the Village being taken over by franchises and chains of all kinds--not just the six Marc Jacobs stores. Oh, that would be my third point, there is of course a place for Marc Jacobs in the Village but six stores on two blocks?! Come on, the person that argues for that has no individuality.

The problem isn't Marc Jacobs, and it isn't just Greenwich Village, but all over the world; the same stores, selling the same stuff and the same coffee. We do need more Jane.

More on Jane Jacobs:
Jane Jacobs Dead at 89