JANE JACOBS WALK:
PORTLAND
Join the Planning Student Organization in exploring the neighborhood of Portland. We will be looking at the historical elements of the neighborhood, as well as the economic redevelopment potential, and many other aspects.
October 22nd, 2016 | 10:00 AM -12 PM | Meet at Portland Branch Library
3305 Northwestern Parkway
Louisville, KY 40212
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Please RSVP at HERE
Space is limited, so please RSVP quickly!
WHAT IS A JANE JACOBS WALK?
Jane Jacobs Walk is a program of the Center for the Living City, a nonprofit organization created by people who knew Jane Jacobs and were fortunate enough to call her a friend. As an organization we celebrate her life and legacy by helping people organize walks in their communities around the time of Jacobs’ birthday in early May and year round.
Jacobs was a community organizer who helped save her neighborhoods from destruction by the hands outside interests. She invited everyone to see how cities actually work through experience, to go out and see what makes a neighborhood thrive, or to see what makes a neighborhood struggle. And she opposed those who insisted on the same solutions to fix the unique challenges in cities.
We honor Jane Jacobs by helping people leave the isolation of their homes to come together to experience areas of their city outside of the automobile. Our mission is to help people walk, observe, and connect with their community and environment. We inspire people to make a difference because a Jane Jacobs Walk enables members of a community to discover and respond to the complexities of their city and environment through personal and shared observation.
WHO IS JANE JACOBS?
Jane Jacobs (1916-2006) was an urbanist and activist whose writings championed a fresh, community-based approach to city building. Jacobs saw cities as integrated systems that had their own logic and dynamism which would change over time according to how they were used. With an eye for detail, she wrote eloquently about sidewalks, parks, retail design and self-organization. She promoted higher density in cities, short blocks, local economies and mixed uses. Jacobs helped derail the car-centred approach to urban planning in both New York and Toronto, invigorating neighborhood activism by helping stop the expansion of expressways and roads. A firm believer in the importance of local residents having input on how their neighborhoods develop, Jacobs encouraged people to familiarize themselves with the places where they live, work, and play.