Jane's Walks

One thing I had to turn down this year because of my illness was the opportunity to again co-lead a "Jane's Walk" of my neighbourhood as I did for the walk's first two years. But here's my plug for Jane's Walks, and I urge you to take in one or more this weekend.

Inspired by urban thinker Jane Jacobs, who died in 2006, Jane's Walks are a series of free walking tours of neighbourhoods, led by people who know the area well, in keeping with Jacobs's belief that healthy cities are about getting feet and eyes on the street. Begun in Jacobs's adopted home of Toronto by a band of Jane acolytes armed with little more than a website and email, they have this year branched out to 24 Canadian cities, and are now organized by former CBC journalist Jane Farrow through the offices of the Centre for City Ecology. They're planning to expand the idea worldwide; in fact, a Jane's Walk is happening today in Mumbai, India.

Today's Globe and Mail features an article on the walk in my neighbourhood, "Greenwood-Coxwell: A Neighbourhood of Many Names" (I call it the Gerrard India Bazaar or Little India), which will be led by my friends and neighbours Diane Dyson, manager of planning and research for Woodgreen Community Services (check out her great blog, Building Strong Communities), and Doug Fyfe, a social historian for Toronto city museums. The walk takes place on Sunday (May 3) at 3 p.m. and I guarantee it will be fascinating (plus you can linger afterward for dinner in one of the many great South Asian restaurants on Gerrard Street).

Or check out one of the other walks in your city. If you're in Toronto, you can take in one of over 90 walks that will be offered over the weekend, from "Art Deco Skyscrapers of Downtown Toronto" to "Toronto’s Lost Railway Heritage" to "The Meeting Place: First Nations on Queen" to one called "Places to Bonk on Your Lunch Hour." They're a great way to get to know your city--or even your own neighbourhood. Last year our walk was held in the pouring rain, and Diane and I expected no one to show up. But we had about 30 hardy participants, and it was great fun. This year the weather in Toronto, at least, looks like it will cooperate. And if I'm feeling well, I may well tag along with my wheelchair on Sunday.