10:00 a.m.

Retracing Stop Spadina

Time: Saturday May 3, noon
Meeting place: In front of the Eglinton West Station
Tour Guide: HiMY SYeD

This Jane’s Walk begins where the Spadina Expressway was stopped, the three foot wide sidewalk that then Premier Bill Davis ceded to the Old City of Toronto to block Metro’s desire to complete the expressway south of Eglinton Avenue West.

The tour will then head south, winding our way through neighbourhoods which would have been drastically reduced if not removed had the Spadina Expressway been completed all the way to downtown.

Rest Stops along the way include:

• Forest Hill Village,

• Spadina House beside Casa Loma,

• The park at the top of Albany Avenue at Barton - St. Alban’s Square where we will see the little known “Jacobs Ladder”.

Strolling through The Annex, we will arrive at 69 Albany Avenue, Jane Jacobs’ House, where this Jane’s Walk will end.

A history of the Stop Spadina controversy will be presented throughout the walk, along with stories and archive photos of each of the neighbourhoods we will be walking through.

A limited number of printed materials will be available on a first come first served basis as keepsakes of this Jane’s Walk.

How well do you know our fabulous city? On the weekend of May 3 and 4 the Centre for City Ecology celebrates the legacy of urbanist and writer Jane Jacobs with a series of over 60 free neighbourhood walking tours across Toronto.

The second annual Jane’s Walk spans the range of Toronto’s vibrant and diverse neighbourhoods, from Parkdale to East Scarborough, and the West Donlands to Jane/Finch. The tour guides leading the walks range from former mayors, community gardeners and high school students to urban planners, activists, artists and psycho-geographers. They’re a fun bunch of folks to take a stroll with, so lace up your sneakers and discover your city!

Jane’s Walk is a great opportunity for Torontonians to discover both the places they think they know well and the places they want to explore.

Visit http://www.janeswalk.net/ for more information.

Click here or here for list of walks near you.

My Walk, Retracing Stop Spadina, begins at 12 noon in front of the Eglinton West Subway Station.

How well do you know our fabulous city?

On Saturday May 5th, a number of prominent Torontonians will be leading walks around the city’s neighbourhoods to celebrate the life and work of the late Jane Jacobs. Each walk will highlight the people, places, and public spaces that make that particular community interesting and unique.

Jane’s Walk is a great opportunity for Torontonians to discover their own city; both the places they think they know well and the places they want to explore.

Visit http://www.JanesWalk.net/ for more information, or the Jane’s Walk page on Torontopedia!

The Centre for Social Innovation is a proud supporter of this great initiative!
“For illustrations, please look closely at real cities. While you are looking, you might as well also listen, linger, and think about what you see.” – Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities

Mayor David Miller announced in November 2006 that May 4 would officially be “Jane Jacobs Day” in Toronto.

On Sunday May 5, 2007, it will be Jane’s Walk Day in Canada:

Many of Jane’s peers, colleagues, friends and admirers have discussed how best to honour her legacy and have settled on the idea of “Jane’s Walk”, to reinforce her idea of walkable, dense, compact and diverse neighbourhoods as the hallmarks of a healthy city. These characteristics help knit together the people of a neighbourhood into a strong and resourceful community.

The First Annual “Jane’s Walk” will take place on Saturday, May 5, 2007, in numerous locations throughout Toronto. Each walk will feature a tour guide who can speak knowledgeably about the neighbourhood, and will highlight the people, places, and public spaces that make that particular community interesting and unique.

Self-organization is part of the philosophy of Jane’s Walk, hence anyone can start a walk of their own.

For information on featured walks, or to organize your own walk, please visit the Jane’s Walk website.

More on the Spacing Wire and the Jane’s Walk page on Torontopedia!.

This Jane’s Walk begins where the Spadina Expressway was stopped, the three foot wide sidewalk that then Premier Bill Davis ceded to the Old City of Toronto to block Metro’s desire to complete the expressway south of Eglinton.

This Jane’s Walk begins at 12 noon and will head south. We will wind our way through neighbourhoods which would have been drastically reduced if not removed had the Spadina Expressway been completed all the way to downtown.

Rest Stops along the way include:

Forest Hill Village,

Spadina House beside Casa Loma,

The park at the top of Albany Avenue at Barton.

Strolling through The Annex, we will arrive at Kensington Market where this Jane’s Walk will end.

A history of the Stop Spadina controversy will be presented throughout the walk, along with stories and archive photos of each of the neighbourhoods we will be walking through.

Meet in front of the Eglinton West Station at 12 Noon on Saturday May 5, 2007.