Reddit mentions of The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces

Well you're certainly entitled to your opinion, but the narration starts with a handful of assumptions that they later find to be untrue. "Correlation doesn't necessarily mean causation" kind of stuff. While I'm not in love with the architecture, I think the study makes perfect sense. Some of the conclusions made in the related book had some influence in the NYC Dept. of City Planning.

Books:

How Cities Work: Suburbs, Sprawl, and the Roads Not Taken by Alex Marshall

A Better Way to Zone: Ten Principles to Create More Livable Cities by Donald L. Elliott

Anything by Leon Krier (Architecture: Choice or Fate being my favorite) or William H. Whyte (The Social Life Of Small Urban Spaces being my favorite)


Essays:

Jane Jacobs and the The Death and Life of American Planning by Thomas J. Campanella

Toward and Urban Design Manifesto by Allen Jacobs and Donald Appleyard.

• The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces -- you might also check out the documentary he did too.
  
• Design for Ecological Democracy has some very relevent chapters, on creating strong, welcoming community centres that encourage healthy socialization and investment.