Jane’s Walks are walking conversations about neighbourhoods, and how people use cities.
Dubbed “Jane’s Walk” after author and activist Jane Jacobs, the worldwide festival is held each year over the first weekend in May. For Belleville, this means four special events taking place throughout the city. Take a walk or ride with “Jane,” head to church, and sow some seeds to begin getting involved in the direction of the city.
“Jane’s Walk encourages residents to see their community at a more human scale – to take the time to recognize the beauty, the history and the opportunity that they pass by every day, and to rediscover the joy of experiencing public spaces with your neighbours,” said Justin Jones of Belleville On Bikes, who will lead the public ride from Meyer’s Pier along the Bay Shore Trail on Saturday, May 2nd.
“A great Jane’s Walk always mixes history and interesting stories with advocacy and a desire to improve the community – and that is what is being offered in all three Jane’s Walks here in Belleville. We hope to open up a conversation about urban agriculture, and what role it can play in improving food security and healthy eating in the Quinte Region. We hope that attendees to Jane’s Ride see that our transportation system is always changing – and that we need to make a conscious effort to move back towards a more human-scale transportation system. We also hope to spark conversations about the preservation and appreciation of architecturally and historically significant buildings like churches in our communities during our “Jane Goes to Church” walk. ”
Taken together, the three Jane’s Walks taking place on May 2 and 3 aim to explore what purpose public space should serve, and, most importantly, how residents can take steps every day to make their communities a better place to live, work and play.
