How did streets, from the East to the West Village, once home to the urbanist Jane Jacobs, a champion of the city’s neighborhoods, become so hollow? But behind the scenes, an important, largely overlooked factor is New York City’s zoning code, enacted in 1961. The code also reflected an anachronistic, and at times elitist, view that limited where and how small businesses could operate. Today, over half a century later, the Department of City Planning is finally trying to overhaul the 1961 code and revive much of the mixed-use character and serendipitous storefront activity that gives New York its soul. (Comments can be submitted to the City Planning Commission thorough Feb.

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Persons: Jane Jacobs, Adams, Edward L, Glaeser, Carlo Ratti Organizations: Department of, Planning, Playground Locations: York, Midtown, New York, City