Abbotsford community organizations to aid in first ever Abbotsford-wide Janes Walk in memory of Jane Jacobs
Submitted. The Abbotsford Downtown Business Association (ADBA) has partnered with Heritage Abbotsford Society, Abbotsford Arts Council, Tourism Abbotsford, City of Abbotsford, University of Fraser Valley (UFV), and The Reach to coordinate a city-wide Janes Walk in memory of Jane Jacobs on Friday, May 5th to Sunday, May 7th.
Janes Walks are free, locally organized walking conversations aimed at exploring and celebrating the places where one lives, works, and plays. Jane Jacobs was a champion for giving voices to residents in neighborhood planning and, after her passing in 2006, a movement was started by her friends and colleagues in honour of her ideas.
“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody,” writes Jacob in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities.
Jacobs believed in walkable neighbourhoods, urban literacy, and cities planned for and by people. That is, for a city to work, the people who live there must be involved in decisions about how the city grows and is run. Staying informed about civic issues, discovering the diverse layers of urban place, taking part in civic change and growth all help to build a vibrant and evolving city. Abbotsford residents are encouraged to take part in this discussion by conducting or joining in on these planned walks.
The inaugural launch is sponsored by Heritage Abbotsford Society and the Abbotsford Arts Council. The first walk will follow the kickoff ceremony on Friday May 5th, 2017 at 11:00 am held at the Trethewey House. Everyone is encouraged to attend, with more information about the accessibility, themes, and difficulty of the individual walks available at janeswalk.org.
The downtown Abbotsford walk will commence at Haven Yoga and Wellness at 12:00pm on Saturday, May 6th, and will conclude with a social mixer at Bishops’ Centre at 4:00pm. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Picture of Jane Jacobs courtesy of Janeswalk.org