Commemorate Jane Jacobs: Sharing unspoken local stories

Jane Jacobs Walks are free, self-organized walks led by committed citizens sharing their knowledge about and love for places. Jane Jacobs’s ten big ideas have been promoted by planners for maintaining livable and vibrant neighborhoods. Jane’s Walk is an annual festival inspired by Jane Jacobs, and thousands of Jane’s Walks are hosted on the first weekend of May in the world.

PLAN3030: Urban and Regional Planning students (instructor: Misun Hur) hosted a 2024 Jane’s Walk Greenville on April 19, 2024, inviting the public and students at ECU to share unspoken stories of historical sites in uptown Greenville.*

Student teams developed four Jane’s Walk routes, focusing on historic sites, ghost buildings/sites, and public art in the Dickinson Avenue Art District. The final selected route was “Walk, Talk, and Connect (pdf).”  The 1.5-hour route included ten stops, including historical sites and buildings, the Tar River as the environmental and historic assets of Greenville, a hidden graveyard, and public arts.

We appreciate Tony Parker, a Neighborhood Liaison in the Department of Neighborhood and Business Services, the City of Greenville, NC, for collaborating and supporting us in making this happen.

* Note: Our Jane’s Walk was earlier than the first weekend of May due to the academic calendar conflict.