Dedicating her life's work to creating smart, well-planned cities, urban-planner Jane Jacobs wanted people to get outside, meet their neighbours and explore their community. Jane's Walk first started in Toronto in May, 2007 to promote community and encourage people to get to know the city they live in. In 2010, more than 400 walks were held in 68 cities in nine countries.

Who is Jane Jacobs?

Activist, wrtiter and urban planner, Jane Jacobs, championed the idea of a community-centric approach to creating urban landscapes.

In 1961, with no formal training as a city planner, she wrote The Death and Life of Great American Cities where she introduced some very progressive ideas on how and why cities succeed, fail and evolve.

Pushing against the car-focused approach at the time, Jane believed that residents should have a say in the way their cities and neighbourhoods were planned and she encouraged the feedback and ideas of local residents.

Viewing cities as ecosystems, Jane wrote extensively about sidewalks, parks, retail design and city organization. By pulling away from the car-centric planning of the time, she influenced the urbanscapes of both New York City and Toronto by helping stop the expansion of expressways and roads.

What is the Jane's Walk?

To celebrate Jane's legacy, free walking tours—led by locals who want to create a place for residents to discuss what matters to them—are held in the first weekend of May. The main Jane’s Walk event takes place annually on the first weekend of May to coincide with Jane Jacobs’ birthday, but those passionate about the cause are encouraged to organize walks throughout the year.

These walks are designed to explore everything from social housing developments and urban hotspots to nearby parks and green spaces. Walks can be led by one person or small groups and have often taken on themes such as places relevant to the community, the history of the neighbourhood and upcoming developments that may affect local residents.

Participate in Jane's Walk

If you are interested in checking out a Jane's Walk you're in luck as the first weekend of May is coming up!  A list of all the Walks is available online as is a section of ten tips to help you enjoy your exploration. Walks take place all over Canada and the US, and as far away as Mumbai!

To make things even easier for keen walkers, the Jane's Walk iphone app lets you sort and find Jane's Walks happening across Canada—you can find walks near you, sort walks by date and find out meeting information.

So, download that app, find the closest walk to you, grab some friends and go learn about the city you live in!

Photos by PUKAR, Katie Mckay and Kevin Murray