NEW YORK — March 25, 2013 — Jane’s Walk, an annual festival that recruits volunteer guides to provide personalized neighborhood tours, will expand to more U.S. cities, motivating people to help shape and contribute to their communities. The expansion plan, a partnership between Jane’s Walk and The Municipal Art Society of New York, is supported by $50,000 from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Since 2007, Jane’s Walk, which honors iconic writer and urban activist Jane Jacobs, has brought thousands of people together to walk and talk about what makes a good city. Held annually on the first weekend of May to approximately coincide with Jacobs’ birthday, this year’s festival will take place from May 2 – 4 in cities around the world. People can sign up to create a walk or participate in one; the festival is open to individuals of all ages, abilities and income levels. Walk participants learn about their cities and discuss ways to capitalize on successes. They also come up with ideas to tackle community challenges and solve problems.

In partnership with The Municipal Art Society of New York, Knight support will help create additional Jane’s Walk resources, get new cities involved and build year-round opportunities for community engagement. The walk will expand to five cities where Knight invests, including Akron, Ohio; Charlotte, N.C.; Detroit; Philadelphia; and San Jose, Calif. Funding will also go to strengthening “Murmur to Movement,” a new program developed with The Art Society of New York that makes it easier for new participant cities to launch Jane’s Walk festivals and foster connections between citizens. 

“Jane’s Walk has grown over the past few years through word of mouth and the heroic efforts of volunteers,” said Denise Pinto, director of Jane’s Walk. “With Knight Foundation and The Municipal Art Society of New York — a civic organization with a long history leading community building initiatives — we have been given a remarkable opportunity to engage diverse cities around the world and build momentum in support of urban literacy.”

“Inherent to building more livable cities is ensuring that people are part of that process. Jane’s Walk is a remarkable way to empower neighbors to meaningfully engage with each other and participate in shaping the future city through sharing knowledge, experience and enthusiasm,” said Mary Rowe, The Municipal Art Society of New York’s director of urban resilience and livability. “MAS is very proud to support the engagement of new cities in Jane’s Walk and enhance the capacity of city builders globally.”

 “By leveraging strong local partnerships the Jane’s Walk model has the potential to create a new class of connected citizens, who are more invested in the place they live and want to contribute to its success,” said Carol Coletta, Knight Foundation vice president for community and national initiatives.

Murmur to Movement” provides a model for community engagement through a new interactive Web platform. The site allows participants to discuss ideas and advance community innovation together; it also promotes mentor networks among cities that are launching Jane’s Walk for the first time. Additionally, Jane’s Walk will collaborate closely with The Municipal Art Society of New York to build momentum throughout the year by developing community engagement workshops, toolkits and webinars.

In May 2013, over 800 Jane’s Walks took place in more than 100 cities around the world. The launch of “Murmur to Movement” is expected to expand Jane’s Walk to more than 250 cities.

To sign up for a walk, get involved or learn more please visit www.janeswalk.org.

About Jane’s Walk

Jane’s Walk cultivates a broad understanding of how cities develop, function, and thrive. It works to advance walkable neighborhoods, increase urban literacy, and promote neighborhood cohesion, civic engagement and leadership. www.janeswalk.org

About The Municipal Art Society

The Municipal Art Society is New York’s leading organization dedicated to creating a more livable city. For 120 years, MAS—a nonprofit membership organization—has been committed to promoting New York City’s economic vitality, cultural vibrancy, environmental sustainability and social diversity. http://mas.org

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. www.knightfoundation.org

List of Participating Cities as of 2014

Adelaide, Australia • Amsterdam • Banff, Canada • Barcelona, Spain • Beit Shemesh, Israel • Belleville, Canada • Berlin • Boston • Brampton, Canada • Brockville, Canada • Buenos Aires, Argentina • Burlington, Canada • Burnaby, Canada • Calcutta, India • Calgary, Canada • Cambridge, Canada • Carthage, Miss. • Celje, Slovenia • Chicago • Coboconck, Canada • Colchester, UK • Cordoba, Spain • Cornwall, Canada • Detroit • Eden Mills, Canada • Edmonton, Canada • Flesherton, Canada • Gävle, Sweden • Goderich, Canada • Guadalajara, Mexico • Guelph, Canada • Haifa, Israel • Halifax, Canada • Hamilton, Canada • Haskovo, Bulgaria • Helsinki, Finland • Idrija, Slovenia • Izola, Slovenia • Jerusalem • Jyväskylä, Finland • Kalamazoo, Mich. • Kamnik, Slovenia • Kelowna, Canada • Kfar Saba, Israel • Kingston, Canada • Kitchener, Canada • Lethbridge, Canada • Lincoln Park, Mich. • Lisbon, Portugal • Liverpool, UK • Ljubljana, Slovenia • London • Manchester, UK • Maribor, Slovenia • Medicine Hat, Canada • Melbourne, Australia • Metlika, Slovenia • Mexico City • Mine, Slovenia • Montreal • Muskegon, Mich. • New Orleans • New Westminster, Canada • New York City • Newmarket, Canada • Orillia, Canada • Oslo, Norway • Ottawa-Gatineau, Canada • Perth, Australia • Peterborough, Canada • Phoenix • Pittsburgh • Providence, R.I. • Québec City • Red Deer, Canada • Regina, Canada • Richmond, Va. • Rishon LeZion, Israel • Salt Lake City • San Francisco  • San Sebastián, Spain • Sao Paulo • Sarasota, Fla. • Saskatoon, Canada • Seattle • Sidney, Canada • Singapore • Škofja Loka, Slovenia • St. George, Canada • Sudbury, Canada • Tampere, Finland • Tel Aviv, Israel • Thunder Bay, Canada • Toronto • Turku, Finland • Uchisar, Turkey • Ulm, Germany • Vancouver, Canada • Victoria, Canada • Washington, D.C. • Waterloo, Canada • Whitchurch-Stouffville, Canada • Windsor, Canada • Winnipeg, Canada • Woonsocket, R.I. • Yellowknife, Canada • Zapopan, Mexico • Zaragoza, Spain • Zurich

Twitter: @janeswalk

Hashtag: #janeswalk

Facebook: Jane’s Walk

PHOTOS of last year’s Jane’s Walk are available upon request or at pinterest.com/janeswalk.

CONTACTS:

Anusha Alikhan, Director of Communications, Knight Foundation, 305-908-2677, [email protected]

Lucia Piccinni, Jane’s Walk, [email protected]

Mary Rowe, Director, Urban Resilience and Livability, The Municipal Art Society of New York, 434-806-428, [email protected]