Inaugural Cobourg Jane’s Walk, May 7

Jane’s Walk is an annual festival of free, community-led walking conversations inspired by the writer, urbanist and activist Jane Jacobs (1916-2006). Jacobs’ seminal 1961 book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, introduced ground-breaking ideas about how cities function and evolve that have become common sense for today’s architects, planners, policymakers, activists and city builders.

Jane’s Walk was founded in Toronto in 2006 by a group of Jane Jacobs’ friends and colleagues as a way to honour her life and activate her ideas. It has grown from a few walks in Toronto in 2007 to an international movement with over 2,000 walks in 46 countries. On the first weekend of May every year, Jane’s Walk festivals take place in hundreds of cities, encouraging people to share stories about their neighbourhoods, discover unseen aspects of their communities and use walking as a way to connect with their neighbours. It’s a community-based approach to city building that uses free, volunteer-led walking tours to make space for people to observe, reflect, share, question and re-imagine the places in which they live, work and play.

Jane’s Walk Cobourg will launch with two walks on May 7, each about an hour long.

10 am – Journalist Denny Manchee will lead a walk in the west end called “From Rifles to a Religious Retreat – the history and current delights of the Monk’s Cove neighbourhood”. Meet at Monk’s Cove Park. Register here: Monk’s Cove, 10 am

1 pm – Author and local historian Robert Mikel will lead a walk in the east end, centred around the Brookside property, and discuss its history and the future possibilities for the site. Meet at Strathmore House, 390 King St. E. Register here: Brookside walk, 1 pm

For up-to-the-minute information about the walks, check Jane’s Walk Cobourg on Facebook. Rain date: May 8, 10 am and 3 pm (to allow for Mother’s Day brunch).

For more information, contact Denny Manchee: dennymanchee@gmail.com