50 walking tours explore city districts
This weekend, more than 50 free neighbourhood tours will hit the road in the spirit of urban engagement for Montreal’s fourth annual Jane’s Walk.
Inspired by the life of activist and author Jane Jacobs – best known for her novel The Death and Life of Great American Cities – the event is taking place in neighbourhoods all over the island, from the Red Light District to Shaughnessy Village to the Parc Olympique.
For Jane’s Walk event manager Fanny Martin, the “Jane Jacobs influence” is about de-centralization and grassroots conversations about what communities can do to make their cities better and more livable spaces.
The Jane’s Walk model has taken off since the project began in 2006; in Montreal alone, the number of walks has doubled since last year and continue to generate interest from the community, according to local organizer Pascoal Gomes.
“People love the experience of exchange,” said Gomes. “They recognize the importance of this type of event for people to connect with their neighbours and neighbourhoods.”
The conversations that can come from the walk can touch on a number of issues, from food to immigration to municipal politics due to their “open, self-organized format,” he continued.
Jason Prince is a tour guide for a walk entitled “Megaprojects, Mega Errors” that will tackle the Mcgill megahospital and Turcot Interchange on May 5.
A part of the Community-university Research Alliance in the Urban Planning Department at Mcgill University, Prince has been part of a five-year study on the possible effects these projects will have on the local economy and environment.
“I’m coming to share my experience and knowledge, answer questions and draw attention to some of the huge mistakes being made,” he said.
“I wish we had a Jane Jacobs in Montreal to help us stop the Turcot. This will be the biggest mistake we’re going to make this century ... it makes the Olympic Stadium look like a hiccup.”
But Prince said he’s still “hopeful the wind is blowing in the right direction,” as more Montrealers become interested in urban planning and keen to know how urban decisions will affect the way they move and live.