Lessons for Norfolk from NYC: ODU's Wojtowicz Reviews Book for Virginian-Pilot Book Section

Robert Wojtowicz, professor of art history at Old Dominion University and associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Arts and Letters, wrote a review of journalist Anthony Flint's "Wrestling With Moses" for Feb. 14 edition of The Virginian-Pilot.

In his review, Wojtowicz asserts that the struggles between urban critic Jane Jacobs and New York City public works commissioner Robert Moses during the mid-20th century offer valuable lessons for cities such as Norfolk, in particular Jacobs' theories on piecemeal renovation versus single-use zoning.

Wojtowicz concludes his review by noting that "'Wrestling With Moses' is a fine introduction to Jacobs, Moses and the genesis of civic engagement in postwar America. Its lessons, although drawn from New York City, will strike residents of South Hampton Roads as achingly familiar. In Norfolk, whose historic core was devastated by urban renewal, activist citizens, consciously or not, have already adopted many of Jacobs' ideas."

View the full article as it appears in the Feb. 14 edition of The Pilot here.