Friday, March 14, 5-7pm: Salon at the Providence Athenaeum: Providence Organizer Nate Storring, Brown University Assistant Professor of Urban Studies and American Studies Samuel Zipp, and others discuss Jane’s Walk, a nationwide celebration (held on 5/3 & 5/4) of the ideas and legacy of urbanist Jane Jacobs, getting people to explore their neighborhoods through free walking tours led by locals.
Jane’s Walk honours the legacy and ideas of urban activist and writer Jane Jacobs who championed the interests of local residents and pedestrians over a car-centered approach to planning. Jane’s Walk often takes Jacobs’ ideas to communities unfamiliar with her ideas, in order to advance local engagement with contemporary urban planning practices. The walks helps knit people together into a strong and resourceful community and encourage civic leadership. Storring brought the walk to Providence in 2013 and will organize the 2014 walk as well. Zipp has written widely on Jacobs’s work. Join both for a conversation about Jacobs, her legacy, and Jane’s Walk.
[alert type=”muted”]More: janeswalk.org. Sponsors: Tripp Evans and Ed Cabral. Free and open to the public, Providence Athenaeum, 251 Benefit Street in Providence, providenceathenaeum.org, 401-421-6970.[/alert]
It is a really good idea to actually go around the streets to understand the issue. I’ve been on various such walks with different sponsors including Statewide Plannng, the Complete Streets movement, the RI Bicycle Coalition, and even led an “environmental walk” myself of downtown Providence for the “math and environment” group when a national math convention met in Providence. There are plenty of issues that can be looked at, we should look forward to hearing their ideas
What comes to mind for me: Memorial Blvd & parts of South Main St that have fast taffic despite pedestrian activity; excessively rounded corners on Memorial Blvd allowing fast right turns even on red lights when pedestrians could be crossing; confusing beg signals; sidewalk obstacles and poor pavement condition; and who knows, on March 14, poor snow removal at various sites such at bridge/overpasses; overcrowding on Kennedy Plaza outer bus stops; lack of bus shelters at tProv Place Mall, the train station and the State House; thru traffic on Washington St thru KP when it should be more of a pedstrian-oriented plaza; difficut crossings for pedestrians at key intersections near the Convention Center; poor streetscapes, especially at the downtown Marriott and between the train station and KP;