Jane Jacobs' Vision for Cities

So, i'm on a little adventure exploring one of my passions for a few days: urban renewal.

A lot on my mind, as usual, but here's the crux:

What role does the aesthetic environment play in shaping human interactions? How might we thoughtfully imagine and create a better sense of place to develop and revitalize urban communities?

Here's a piece on Jane Jacobs that I find inspirational in my own quest to make sense of my passion for and interest in furthering this cause through my occupation and my vocation.

http://www.visions2200.com/Articles/Jane%20JacobsNYTimes.htm

And a Jacobs quote, which reengaged my interest in her work a few weeks ago-after seeing an excerpt from this exact quote on the wall at the National Building Museum's "Green" exhibit:

"Vital cities have marvelous innate abilities for understanding, communicating, contriving, and inventing what is required to combat their difficulties... Lively, diverse, intense cities contain the seeds of their own regeneration, with energy enough to carry over for problems and needs outside themselves."

If you're into Jacobs, or urban renewal, this piece is also very good:
http://www.ecoplan.org/carfreeday/EarthCFD/partners/writer-jacobs.htm