Polish Hill just finished its first Jane’s Walk today. We had a great turnout, with over sixty people on our doorstop at 11am, ready for a brief walk around the neighborhood. The tour covered community gardens and new developments in our neighborhood. Terry Doloughty conducted the tour, and his knowledge of the neighborhood, both historic and contemporary, made for a fascinting discourse. Polish Hillarians attending the tour chimed in with insights about the neighborhood and about the history. Myra Falisz was on hand to discuss Maly Park, Mark Knobil talked about properties that are under development, and Patrick Singleton talked about the city steps between Dobson and Herron. Paulette Still-Khouri, who opened the Urgban Gypsy a few days ago, distributed beautiful carnations when the tour stopped at her shop.

Chuck Alcorn, who approached us about hosting a Jane’s Walk, spoke about the importance of this event in commemorating the work of Jane Jacobs. Chuck was recently acknowledged for the beautiful work that he has done on renovating his Larryville home.

Many thanks to all of our neighbors for hosting this memorable event. Watch for us to come back next year with a new walking tour.

Jane’s Walk is a series of free neighborhood walking tours that helps put people in touch with their environment and with each other, by bridging social and geographic gaps and creating a space for cities to discover themselves. Since its inception in 2007, Jane’s Walk has happened in cities across North America, and is quickly expanding internationally. In 2009 Jane’s Walks were held in 46 cities with a total of 315 walks offered. All Jane’s Walk tours are given and taken for free.

You can find out more about Jane Jacobs and Jane’s Walk on the organization’s site.

Slideshow photographs courtesy of Myra Falisz. Thanks, Myra!