Jane’s Walk 2010 A Calgary Success

Since 2007, cities across the world have been invited to dedicate the first weekend of May to a celebration of their neighborhoods by offering free neighborhood walking tours. This event, Jane’s Walk, was the brainchild of friends and colleagues who wanted to recognize urbanist writer and activist Jane Jacobs, and advance her legacy.

Jane Jacobs championed the interests of local residents and pedestrians over a car-centred approach to planning. She told us we could make great cities and that to do so, we should get out and see what works.

The response to the idea of Jane’s Walk has been phenomenal. From its genesis in Toronto in 2007, 68 cities have now joined in, organizing more than 420 neighborhood walks on the first weekend of May 2010. Calgary started with six walks in 2008 and this year offered 20, welcoming more than 350 people into conversations about city life and citizen action.

The highlights for the 2010 Jane’s Walks were many. Volunteers with the Civic Affairs Committee of the Varsity Community Association took visitors to some of the hot-spot redevelopment zones of their neighborhood, showcasing its evolution as it transitions from a leafy-lawned suburb into an inner-city community. Their stories showed that residents can help make existing and new spaces great places to be when they involve themselves inch-by-inch in redevelopment plans.

Jane’s Walk 2011 will take place the first weekend of May next year. For more information, visit www.thecalgaryfoundation.org and www.janeswalk.net.