Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

"A community’s physical form, rather than its land uses, is its most intrinsic and enduring characteristic." [Katz, EPA] This blog focuses on place and placemaking and all that makes it work--historic preservation, urban design, transportation, asset-based community development, arts & cultural development, commercial district revitalization, tourism & destination development, and quality of life advocacy--along with doses of civic engagement and good governance watchdogging.

Friday, May 02, 2008

Walking tours this weekend in honor of Jane Jacobs... in Canada

Some people criticized (in evaluations and other comments) my walking tours last weekend because in their opinion there wasn't enough history. My interest is more in broad themes rather than factoids, the nexus of urban sociology, local history, urban design and placemaking, urban planning, and people, so this description of what it means to be a tour guide:

Jane’s Walk is a national initiative of the Centre for City Ecology, a recently formed Toronto-based think-tank devoted to furthering Jacobs’ ideas and concerns about cities and sustainability. Jane’s Walk raises urban literacy by combining the simple act of walking with personal observations, urban history, planning, design and civic engagement. They help knit people together into a strong, connected and resourceful community.

on the "Jane's Walk" initiative, seems to fit me to a "t".
Jane Jacobs quote
(This book is published in a new edition. But with an eagle eye at a library booksale or used bookshop, you may be able to find a copy for less than $1. I scored it at the Northeast (DC) Friends of the Library sale a couple months back...

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