“While you are looking, you might as well also listen, linger and think about what you see.” ~Jane Jacobs
A movement is underfoot in Sault Ste. Marie. Inspired by the life and career of Jane Jacob’s, writer and transformative urban thinker for all times, Jane’s Walks will be taking place across the globe this weekend. These citizen led walks reinforce a culture of community creating opportunities for the development of social capital –our relationship with neighbours, community, and the sharing of community capacity –exposure to professional and lived expertise of our community members. The movement draws on the community spirit of individuals who are experts about their neighbourhoods and those who have a special set of knowledge. Jane’s Walks also eliminate common barriers to recreation, like not enough money or not enough to do.
Organized by Nicole Dyble, local social entrepreneur and co-founder of the Gore Street Café, Sault Ste. Marie’s Jane’s Walk event is happening Friday, May 6th to Sunday May 8th. Three walks have been planned: Back Lanes of Downtown Westside, Our Transformed Waterfront and Public Sculpture & Historic Architecture Downtown.
Sam Decter
Back Lanes of Downtown Westside, with Sam Decter
“My walk is about everything that I’ve discovered. I haven’t researched or made it to the archives. I feel confident talking about this neighbourhood and the routes that the back lanes create. I’m trying to highlight the convenience and inconvenience of back lanes. Hopefully people get a sense of walking downtown in a private and quiet way- without the sound of trucks and cars speeding by,” remarked Sam Decter.
Originally from other places, Sam has made a comfortable place for himself in the Sault’s downtown- it’s where he lives and where he and his partner run their Gore St. Café enterprise. As a newcomer, and having a preference for quiet bi-pedal travel, Sam sought out the peace often provided in the back lanes and abandoned lots of the downtown. There’s a lot of beauty to be discovered in those forgotten places.
“The lanes were on fire with purple and pink last summer,” commented Sam. “I decorated the Café all season with flowers I found in the lanes and abandoned lots.”
Acknowledging that there are some perceptions that walking through the back lanes, let alone downtown Sault Ste. Marie, is perceived as ‘dangerous’, Sam concedes that as a 6 foot male he may be exempt from some threats perceived or otherwise. But Sam also encourages that walking along the streets and alleys of the downtown would be made safer by first “reclaiming the space”.
“The first step is knowledge of the space. It’s less dangerous when you have knowledge about your neighbourhood. I think finding as many routes through your neighbourhood increases safety. If you’re out and you don’t feel comfortable because you see some people on the street and you know a back lane is a safe, quick way without a dead end, then it increases your ability to stay safe and to take care of yourself.”
A tireless advocate for his neighbourhood Sam would like to see, perhaps the City, acquire some of the abandoned lots in the downtown to create green spaces –or parkettes. “A parkette is much safer than an abandoned lot with junk piling up in it that kids are going to go and hurt themselves on.”
Sam also expressed concern with the impending removal of traffic lights at the Gore and Albert intersection. “The City is talking about making things more walkable and trying to spin the removal of traffic lights as creating a traffic calm zone and that it’s going to be more peasant for cyclists and pedestrians to go through. This is a major route. This will make a big intersection here much more unsafe for pedestrian traffic.”
Michael Burtch
Public Sculpture & Historic Architecture Downtown, with Michael Burtch
“It is an intriguing walk. I love walking. I’ve done this walk with my students at Algoma University when I was teaching. There’s some wonderful examples of architecture downtown. If you’re just walking down the street and looking at your iPhone or looking for stores, you may miss some of the wonderful features of early architecture over one hundred years old.”
Michael Burtch, a sculptor and art historian, has observed from his downtown studio an increase in pedestrian traffic over the years. “I see a lot of people walking and biking now. I think the boardwalk and the Hub Trail have contributed greatly to that. If you make an area so it can be enjoyed with green space, walking and biking safely, then people are going to use them. If you’re in a crowded downtown and you take your life in your hand walking or biking down the street then people are less likely to be pedestrians.”
Michael’s walk includes treks to often hidden or missed sculptures. “I really like the idea of having things that aren’t conspicuous- that you have to search for. People can interact with sculpture however they want to and they do. But there’s all kinds of interesting stories behind the sculptures.
Aside from the obvious health benefits of walking, Michael emphasized that events like Jane’s Walks contribute to the understanding and preservation of our area’s culture and history. “The history is under our feet as we walk the sidewalks and boardwalks. It’s really important that we can know and understand our community. These walks slow down the pace. We’re often destination oriented but when you’re walking, looking is really important. I love walking. That’s where most of my inspiration comes from.”
Tori Prouse
Our Transformed Waterfront, with Tori Prouse
“My walk is going to focus on the transformation of the waterfront mainly starting from 1960 to now. I know the waterfront has a very rich history before that point. But for me, and people my age, I think it would be interesting to relay the transformation from a really industrial waterfront to what we see today. If you look back to what you see from the 1960’s you had tank farms, coal piles, a lumber yard, a chrome plant, a steel plant, metal scraps- it didn’t look very nice. What I want to go through on the walk is to explain the history of the spaces –the river was a really bustling hub. I’d like to go through the City’s remediation process to regenerate these places into awesome public spaces for everyone to enjoy,” shared Tori Prouse.
Tori, an urban planner with the City of Sault Ste. Marie, possesses a tremendous admiration for Jane Jacobs.
“She’s a really inspiring figure in the field of planning. What’s neat about her is that she was never trained professionally as an urban planner. Her insight came from being a very astute and engaged citizen. So if you look at that – the hope is that what might come out of her walks is for people to take notice and more ownership of their neighbourhoods. You don’t need to be an expert to advocate for your neighbourhood or do events like a street BBQ. For me that’s a huge value of the Jane’s Walks- promoting that mindset.”
Tori has also had the experience of living out of the city and out of the country. Those opportunities have allowed her to recognize that Sault Ste. Marie is a driving culture. “But we don’t necessarily have to be,” remarked Tori. Pointing out that the Sault is a “sprawled community”, Tori has observed that walking or biking isn’t naturally built into the regular day in the life of a Saultite, rather these are planned activities.”
“People in the Sault love walking and biking recreationally. I think that the waterfront walk is a really good example of how public investment worked really well- it wasn’t cheap. In terms of making big investments, the waterfront revitalization really speaks to the reward of that. The waterfront is one of the most beautiful spaces in Sault Ste. Marie. It’s a huge push to a higher quality of life in the City. In addition to the Hub Trail, the waterfront development has really helped foster linkages in the community.”
Referencing the legacy of Jane Jacob’s which isn’t just limited to urban thinking but also unifying community members Tori added, “Jane’s Walks encourage the mindset that neighbours get in touch with one another or come together over an even or have a discussion about an issue together. I think that’s really positive. Fostering that social capital is something that I want to see grow in the Sault.”
Tori hopes that this first Jane’s Walk series becomes a regular activity in the community not limited to an annual event.
“I guess for me as an urban planner I recognize the value of walkability. I would love to spread my love for cities and urban planning to regular citizens and get them excited about these ideas. We don’t have to settle. Let’s think big and have these conversation about walkability, waterfront revitalization and architecture and get people to think critically about their neighbourhoods. It’s engaging for me and I want it to be engaging for other people too.”
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To learn more about Sault Ste. Marie’s Jane’s Walk series visit their facebook page or check out Jane’s Walk for information about walks in your community.
