In Chapter number three Jane Jacobs explains the necessity of sidewalks in the communities or neighborhoods social life. The main criterion for the sidewalk social life to exist is the feeling of safety and trust. She gives various examples of social behavior in different neighborhoods of how people interact with each other or they just stay to themselves. The existence of sidewalk life depends not only on the diversity of the area but also on the existence of the “social centers” like grocery store, barber shop, Laundromat, bars,(the places where people living in that neighborhood usually socialize, exchange local gossip, or hear the latest news… ), but also on type of city planning or even census. According to Jacobs it is more plausible for sidewalk life to be present in “Garden city” type areas than in projects, since the density in those districts is much lower and it is easier to know people that surround you, because there are so many of them.
She gave a few examples of public life that I actually have experience myself. For example my local grocery store. I go to that store every morning and the owner right after saying good morning pours a medium size cup o coffee and takes out a pack of cigarettes that I usually smoke, without me saying a single word.
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