Every year, cities around the world celebrate the legacy of urban theorist and activist Jane Jacobs through neighbourhood tours and walks. This year, the City of Brampton is directly hosting Jane’s Walk events, guided by members of the city planning department, in four areas of the city.
Jacobs was the author of seven pivotal books on urban life and planning. Her two biggest urban achievements was stopping the Lower Manhattan Expressway, which would have cut straight through Manhattan and displaced thousands, as well as protesting and then working with then premier Bill Davis to stop the Spadina Expressway from doing similar to downtown Toronto.
The idea behind a Jane’s Walk is to highlight the communities we live in, the good, bad, and sometimes ugly. Brampton has been the site of many walks, mostly running by residents and community groups. This is the first year the city is officially hosting events.
The four walks tie in with the city’s Brampton 2040 Planning Vision project, which will be presented to council on May 7 at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall.
Mount Pleasant Village
May 5, 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. — Facebook Event
Meeting place is in front of the Brampton Library Mount Pleasant branch at 100 Commuter Drive.
One of Brampton’s newer suburbs, this transit-oriented community was designed to fit to Jacobs’ principles of walkable, mixed-use, and complete.
Bramalea
May 6, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. — Facebook Event
Meeting place is in front of the Starbucks on the southeast corner of Queen and Dixie.
Bramalea was once considered state-of-the-art in terms of city planning when it was built starting in the 50s. This tour focuses on Bramalea’s past, as well as what could happen to it in the future.
Downtown Brampton — Etobicoke Creek and the Riverwalk
May 6, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. — Facebook Event
Meeting place is at the northwest corner of Main Street and Wellington Street (near City Hall).
This walk explores the past history of the Etobicoke Creek, current and past flood mitigation efforts, and future plans through the Riverwalk project.
Note: The city release notes that this tour includes stairs and steep climbs, which may make it inaccessible to some.
Sheridan College and “Uptown” Brampton
May 7, 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. — Facebook Event
Meeting place is at the “S” sculpture at Sheridan College’s Davis Campus.
This tour is special, as it is being guided by the urban consultant behind the Brampton 2040 plan, Larry Beasley. It will explore some aspects of the “Uptown” Brampton concept, including Sheridan College’s current work on a District Energy Plan, as well as the rest of south-central Brampton.
