Tours To Appreciate The Cityscape
Next weekend, thousands of New Yorkers will walk the streets of Jackson Heights, Flushing, Rockaway and other city neighborhoods in honor of the late urban activist and author Jane Jacobs.
Next weekend, thousands of New Yorkers will walk the streets of Jackson Heights, Flushing, Rockaway and other city neighborhoods in honor of the late urban activist and author Jane Jacobs.
“Jane’s Walk NYC,” hosted by the Municipal Art Society (MAS), is an annual weekend-long series of more than 150 free “walking conversations” throughout the five boroughs, led by local residents, urban enthusiasts and others who care about their neighborhoods.
Started in Toronto in 2007, a year after Jacobs’ death, these walks commemorate the life and legacy of a woman whose observations about the dynamism of city life continue to inform urban policy and practice. Since its inception, Jane’s Walk has grown into a global movement, with walks in over 100 cities worldwide.
This year’s Jane’s Walk NYC will include an array of walks, culminating on Sunday evening, May 4, with “Jane’s Birthday Party,” when walk leaders, volunteers, participants, and members of the public are invited to come together at Hester Street Fair to share stories and celebrate the weekend on what would have been Jane’s 98th birthday.
Top Walks in Queens include:
– Sunday, May 4-Taking it to the Streets: Jane Jacobs in 3 Queens Plazas: Queens Council Members Daniel Dromm and Julissa Ferraras will join this family-friendly walk.
– Saturday, May 3-Flushing Meadows Fleshed Out: Queens’ largest park from ash dump to World’s Fair ground: Bicycles are welcome on this family-friendly walk that will explore what remains of the historic World’s Fair core, with an emphasis on the environmental and cultural impacts that the Fair had on both the park and its surrounding neighborhoods.
– Sunday, May 4-Rockaway from Beach to Bay: A family-friendly walk that will explore a landfill like no other.
“We are proud to honor the spirit and accomplishments of the great Jane Jacobs through Jane’s Walk,” said MAS Executive Director Margaret Newman. “Jane strongly believed in community-centered approaches to strengthening neighborhoods, which is precisely why Jane’s Walks are led by local people-the folks who know their communities best. The walks are also a great opportunity for people to connect with their neighbors, other New Yorkers, local businesses and visitors to the city.”
All of the MAS-sponsored walks combine the simple act of exploring neighborhoods with personal observations, local history, and civic engagement, reflecting Jacobs’ urging that a city’s health is dependent on having many “eyes on the street.”
A typical walk is 90 minutes and is free and open to the public.
Jacobs was an author, journalist and activist who rose to prominence in Manhattan during the early 1960s, when she fought against the proposed Lower Manhattan Expressway. Championed by master builder Robert Moses in his later years, the highway would have linked the Holland Tunnel to the Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges-and run through neighborhoods including the Lower East Side, Greenwich Village, East Village, TriBeCa and SoHo.
Her book, “The Death and Life of American Cities,” slammed modern urban renewal as ignorant of the needs of city dwellers. It is considered to be one of the most influential pieces on modern city planning.
After successfully fighting against the Lower Manhattan Expressway and propelling the landmarks preservation movement in New York, Jacobs relocated to Toronto in 1968. She died in April 2006, just days before her 90th birthday.
Jane’s Walk NYC is supported by: Airbnb, Cemusa, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, The Knight Foundation, TimeOut New York and WNYC-AM radio.
For detailed information about Jane’s Walk and a full list of events, please visit: https://mas.org/janeswalknyc or email Stacey Anderson at sanderson@mas.org.
Follow and contribute to Jane’s Walk on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with #janeswalknyc.
