Get to know your city on a “Jane’s Walk” May 1-2
Put on your walking shoes!
If you’re new to Canada (or even if you’ve lived here for a while), here’s a chance to get acquainted with your home city and get some fresh air at the same time
On Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2, cities across Canada are hosting “Jane’s Walks,” a series of free neighborhood walking tours.
Celebrating the legacy of Jane Jacobs (1916-2006), a noted urbanist, activist, and author, Jane’s Walks inspire people to get to know their city — and each other — by getting out and walking.
More than 60 cities worldwide, including 30 in Canada, are holding Jane’s Walks in 2010.
Jacobs was born in the U.S. but immigrated to Canada in the 1960s. Her 1961 book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, introduced innovative, new ideas about urban development.
Jacobs championed cities that were higher density and mixed-use but still walkable and human scale. Because of her belief that local residents should have input on how their neighborhoods develop, Jacobs encouraged people to get better acquainted with their local communities.
Among the Canadian cities hosting Jane’s Walks this year are:
Last year, I took an interesting Jane’s Walk though the Vancouver neighborhoods of Strathcona and Gastown that highlighted those communities’ Jewish roots. Among other things, I learned that vaudeville performer Jack Benny met his future wife in the Ferrara Court building on East Hastings Street. (The Jewish Museum and Archives of B.C. hosts similar walking tours from June through August.)
For a complete list of 2010 Jane’s Walks across Canada, check the Jane’s Walk website.
Photo ©Carolyn B. Heller
