It's time for Jane's Walk weekend
...and a little self-promotion, too ;)
Jane’s walks are neighbourhood walking tours held the first weekend of May, in honour of urban activist and author, Jane Jacobs. These citizen-led walks “make space for people to observe, reflect, share, question and collectively reimagine the places in which they live, work and play.”
These free walks encourage people to explore their neighbourhoods and meet new neighbours. The walk themes often spark reflection and conversations about the streets in your community. While they are now held in hundreds of cities globally, the first Jane’s Walk was held in Toronto in 2007.
There are more than 20 walks happening this weekend in Waterloo Region. You can see the full list here, but I wanted to highlight a few that stand out to me:
Queen’s Square: Galt’s Gathering Place, Friday, May 2nd 7:00 – 8:00pm at Dalton Court, 2 Queen’s Square, Cambridge. Walk Leader: Kevin Swayze
Barriers in the built environment Accessibility Tour, Saturday May 3rd, 2025, 11:00am – 12:30pm at the corner of William and Regina Streets, in front of Waterloo City Hall. Walk Leader: Amy Ross
Gentle/Moderate/Intense Intensification: is one better than another? Saturday May 3rd, 2025, 4:30 – 5:30pm at 61 John St. E, corner of John and Willow, Waterloo. Walk Leader: Kae Elgie
Suburban to Urban transformation in Northdale, Sunday, May 4th 2025, 10:30am – 12:00pm at Veterans Green, Beech Street at Hazel Street, Waterloo. Walk Leader: Michael Druker
(Here comes that shameless self-promotion part!)
Building Community in Vertical Neighbourhoods, Friday, May 2, 4:00 – 5:00pm begins at 150 Queen St S and ends at Bread and Roses Co-op, 307 Queen St S, Kitchener. Walk Leaders: Paul Born, Melissa Bowman, Martin de Groot, with Kae Elgie
The Pandemic Hits Kitchener, 1918, Saturday, May 3rd 2025, 1:00 – 2:15pm at UW School of Pharmacy, Victoria and King, Kitchener. Walk Leader: Todd Bowman
Learn more about Jane Jacobs’ big ideas, including having ‘eyes on the street’, ‘citizen science’, and the importance of making ‘vital little plans’.
Are you planning on attending (or leading!) a walk this weekend? If so, which one(s)? Comment below.