Jane's Walk Ottawa to Feature More than 50 Walks: May 6 - 7, 2017

Jane Jacobs outside her Spadina Road home in Toronto, 1968. PHOTO: Frank Lennon / Toronto Star File Photo

Saturday, April 22, 2017

HERITAGE OTTAWA

THIS WEEKEND: MAY 6 - 7, 2017

Visit the Jane's Walk website for the full schedule of events!

Jane's Walk is a weekend festival of free neighbourhood walking tours throughout Ottawa-Gatineau, led by local citizens who care passionately about where they live, work and play. Tours offer insights into local history, planning, design and civic engagement through the simple act of walking and observing.

The event takes its name from the late urban activist and writer Jane Jacobs, born 101 years ago on May 4, 1916. Jacobs had a profound influence on the way we consider urban space, urban life and urban infrastructure. Her 1961 book The Death and Life of Great American Cities roundly criticized the destruction of neighbourhoods resulting from urban renewal policies of the 1950's and 60's.  Many of her groundbreaking ideas about urbanism remain relevant today, and are now considered "common sense" by many contemporary architects and planners.

Jane's Walk began in Toronto in May 2007, and quickly spread to other cities including Ottawa in 2008. It is now a global event.

The 2017 edition of Jane's Walk Ottawa-Gatineau features a multitude of interesting walks in both English and French over the weekend of May 6 - 7, 2017.

This year's event kicks off one week earlier on Saturday, April 29 at the Bytown Cinema with a talk by celebrated heritage architect Barry Padolsky, following a screening of the new documentary Citizen Jane: Battle for the City beginning at 4:20 pm.

The film will be re-screened later in the week. See the Bytown Cinema Schedule for times and details.

On Sunday, April 30 Councillor Mathieu Fleury leads a walk entitled Rideau: Redefining Ottawa's Main Street departing at 4:00 pm from Ogilvy Square, the new pedestrian square at Rideau and Nicholas Streets.

A wide range of walking tours on the event weekend of May 6 - 7 include Centretown, the Central Experimental Farm, Sandy Hill, the Prince of Wales Bridge, Stittsville, the Thomas 'Carbide' Willson ruins in Gatineau Park, and much more.

Visit the Jane's Walk website for the full schedule of events!

 

Heritage Ottawa is pleased to be a sponsor of Jane's Walk.

 

See the following links more information about Jane Jacobs:

The Woman Who Saved New York from Superhighway Hell / Vanity Fair, April 14, 2017

Learning from Jane Jacobs, Who Saw Today's City Yesterday / The New York Times, April 20, 2017

Review | 'Citizen Jane: Battle for the City' Elicits Challenging Discussion on Urbanization / The Globe & Mail, April 21, 2017

At 100, Jane Jacobs More Relevant than Ever / Toronto Star, May 6, 2016