Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In

She may be experiencing an intellectual reconsideration in some corners, but Jane Jacobs is still a beloved figure for the urban planners and designers of Planetizen.

0433_12innova.jpgJane Jacobs (Photo: BusinessWeek)

After a month-long online poll that saw more than 14,000 votes cast, the site released its list of the "Top 100 Urban Thinkers" today -- and Jane was at the top. Her longtime antagonist Robert Moses came in at No. 23, nine spots ahead of current New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.

Other notables singled out by Planetizen readers include Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of New York's Central Park (No. 4), Enrique Penalosa, Bogota's former mayor and a dedicated proponent of bus rapid transit (No. 14), and Kaid Benfield, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council's smart growth program (No. 42).

Check out the complete top 100 right here. Is anyone missing, or should anyone be ranked higher than they are?

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Friday Video: How ‘Car Brain’ Warps the Way We See the World

How can we fix the brains distorted by car culture?

January 16, 2026

Friday’s Headlines Are the Best

People for Bikes named its top bike lane projects of the past year.

January 16, 2026

Talking Headways Podcast: The Lost Subways of North America

Author Jake Berman discusses transit histories through the lens of racial dynamics, monopolies, ballot measures and overlooked cities.

January 15, 2026

A ‘Demographic Time Bomb’ Is About To Go Off — And the Transportation Sector Isn’t Ready

A top firm is warning that the "silver tsunami" will have big implications for the climate, unless U.S. communities act fast.

January 15, 2026

Thursday’s Headlines Shoot for the Moon

What if the U.S. spent anything near what it spends on highways on transit instead?

January 15, 2026
See all posts