On Saturday, May 5, I will lead a Jane’s Walk for children ages 5 – 12 around Toronto’s financial district.

Brookfield Place, photo: Ansgar Walk

This will be our second Jane’s Walk – the first one was led by Cliff up at Sheppard and Yonge Streets, where our development Hullmark Centre is under construction.

Jane’s Walk is a series of free public walks around cities, over one weekend each year that celebrates the ideas and legacy of urbanist Jane Jacobs, who was a champion of walkable neighbourhoods. She wrote a highly-regarded and pioneering book, The Death and Life of American Cities which was a critique of modernist planning principles. Instead, it championed healthy urban neighbourhoods and ways to achieve them, including density, urban renewal and pedestrian friendliness.

Toronto's Flatiron building

Our Jane’s Walk will involve fun activities for kids that encourage them to look around and think about the architecture and planning en route from Berczy Park to the Royal York Hotel (completed in 1929), to Santiago Calatrava’s stunning Allen Lambert Galleria at Brookfield Place and finally over to Pecaut Square at Metro Hall.

There will be assistants to help with the kids and provide additional information to parents if necessary. There are also washrooms and cafes at various points along the route.

I hope you will join us!

-David