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Improving the Quality of City Living By Mike Esposito Jane Jacobs, author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities believes that "the public peace, the sidewalk and street peace of cities, is not kept primarily by the police, necessary as police are. It is kept by an intricate, almost unconscious network of voluntary controls and standards among the people themselves and enforced by the people themselves". City ordinances are not voluntary controls and standards; they are in fact the laws of the city which reflect standards and values of our community. Many ordinances relating to quality of life issues make living in city neighborhoods more attractive and safer when they are obeyed. However they are difficult to enforce because there are not enough police to call upon. Responsible, reasonable people will recognize the value of the ordinances. Most parents or guardians will be responsible enough not to allow their youngsters out after certain hours. People generally do not walk the streets drinking alcoholic beverages. They also respect the need we all have for peace and quiet at certain times of the day and evening. People sweep up litter that accumulates on their sidewalks and throw it in a trash bin. Most people place their garbage in proper containers or trash bags and move them to the street or alley no earlier then twelve hours before pickup. Unfortunately there seems to be a growing number of people who are either defiant or disrespectful of the law or ignorant of the law. City residents, landlords and tenants and business people, must know the ordinances and where they can call to report instances when they are ignored. The following is a list of Troy City ordinances relating to quality of life issues and the people to contact when it becomes necessary to do so.
If you are not sure where to call, dial 274-TROY (8709). The full text of ordinances appear in The Code of Ordinances of the City of Troy, New York available at City Hall in the offices of the City Clerk (270-4541) and Corporation Counsel (270-4531) and at the Troy Public Library (274-7071). The South Central Troy Neighborhood Association recently distributed three hundred copies of the list of city ordinances cited above to residents in their neighborhoods. The stability of neighborhoods within the city depends on the standards and values of its residents and continued cooperation with the police and with city officials. Jane Jacobs reminds us that a successful city neighborhood is a place that keeps sufficiently abreast of its problems so it is not destroyed by them. An unsuccessful neighborhood is a place that is overwhelmed by its defects and problems and is progressively more helpless before them. In cooperation with Troy United Ink Corp., a not-for-profit corporation 
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