In 1960, Jane Jacobs’s book The Death and Life of Great American Cities sent shockwaves through the architecture and planning worlds with its exploration of the consequences of modern planners’ and architects’ reconfiguration of cities. Jacobs was also an activist who was involved in many fights in mid-century New York to stop “master builder” Robert Moses from running roughshod over the city.

Called “a primer on how to resist authoritarianism” by Vogue and “a timely, inspiring documentary you can’t miss” by Parade magazine, Citizen Jane retraces the battles for the city as personified by Jacobs vs. Moses, as urbanization moves to the very front of the global agenda. Many of the clues for formulating solutions to the dizzying array of urban issues can be found in Jacobs’s prescient text. And as the film examines the city of today through the lens of one of its greatest champions, it proves that a present-day second look at Jacobs’ thinking and writing about cities is very much in order.Prior to the film, the Tampa Downtown Partnership will host an hour-long Jane Jacobs Walk, enabling members of the Downtown Tampa community to discover their city and environment through shared observation. The Walk will start under Tampa Theatre’s historic marquee on Franklin Street at 5:30pm and will return as the doors and bar open at 6:30pm. A Jane Jacobs Look-A-Like contest will take place at 7:15pm, right before the film. Costumes are encouraged!  Following the screening, stick around for a panel discussion and audience Q&A with local industry professionals.

Community support for this special screening is provided by the Tampa Downtown Partnership.