April 29th, 2009
Preview of a few Jane’s Walks in Montreal
By Alanah Heffez // No Comments
It would probably be fair to say that most of the Spacing Montreal community is into exploring Montreal's neighbourhoods, picking up stories here and there, sussing out what makes a place great (or not so great), and musing about what could make them even better. A series of walks honouring Jane Jacobs next weekend (May 2nd and 3rd) and aim to bring together the kinds of folks who like to do just that.
Jane's walks are not your typical tour, and participants are expected to do more than hang back while the experts talk. Sure, architecture and heritage are up for discussion but the foot-worn trail through a park or across the tracks may be a more tell-tale sign of how locals interact with their space day to day.
Leaders are encouraged to visit places they care about as well as things that may make them uncomfortable, places they feel are unsafe, and places with room for improvement. The goal is to get a dialogue going among all participants and most of the walks wind up at a park or café where folks are welcome to hang out and keep talking.
Throughout the week, I'll preview some of the 19 walks planned in Montreal neighbourhoods, starting with a few that are close to the Spacing Montreal community. All the details (times, meeting spot, reservations) are availabe on the Janes' walk website.
Bronwyn Chester, who contributes the Tree Tuesday column, is co-hosting a fascinating promenade called: Le sud du Plateau: Roche, papier, ciseaux, allumettes. The tour is structured around 4 themes - rock, paper, scissors, matches - as jumping off point to explore elements that have shaped the neighbourhood between Rachel and des Pins, St-Laurent and St-Denis:
"ROCHES: celles des maisons, certaines en pierre, certaines en brique; PAPIERS: ceux des écoles et des institutions religieuses; CISEAUX: l'industrie de textile et d'autres industries ont marqué le quartier; ALLUMETTES: les incendies qui ont façonné le quartier et permis la présence de parcs et de verdure"
Mary Soderstrom, author of The Walkable City (as well as the occasional comment on this blog), is leading a stroll through Outremont: From Dr. Beaubien's Farm to Bernard's Bling. Soderstrom's walk follows an Amerindian trail (now a major roadway), passes under the eruv, and traces the channels of streams. It is offered in French on Saturday and bilingual on Sunday.
I met Nikki Schiebel from the Éco-quartier NDG at one of the Jane's Walk planning sessions and spent a Sunday afternoon wandering the 'hood and exchanging perspectives. Starting at Co-op la Maison Verte, the Notre-Dame-de-Green Jane's walk will dip below the tracks into the oft-overlooked Saint-Raymond area. We'll visit some of the local environmental initiatives, judge the best graffiti, and contemplate how the upcoming MUHC and Turcot projects will transform the neighbourhood. Plus, I think we'll spot one or two things discussed on this blog along the way.
The first Jane's walks took place in 2007 Toronto and the initiative has already spread across Canada and cropped up in New York, Chicago, and New Orleans, Mumbai and Goa. The walks taking place in Montreal have been coordinated by the Urban Ecology Centre.
Image: map of Jane's walks meeting points, made by the Urban Ecology Centre.
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