South Philly Jane’s Walks happening this weekend

Jane’s Walks, events inspired by Jane Jacobs’ book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, are coming to South Philadelphia this weekend.

These walking tours of East Passyunk and the Old Southwark district will highlight some of the history and planning behind these sections of the city.

Whether or not you actually read The Death and Life of Great American Cities, these events can teach you a bit about city planning and the ideals of cities that Jacobs wrote about in her book.

The Passyunk Pedestrians event will explore the development, walkability and transportation of East Passyunk Avenue. The tour will be lead by Feet First Philly’s Jen Barr and East Passyunk Crossing Civic Association’s Zoning Chair, David Goldfarb. Throughout the hour-long event, the future improvements of the avenue will be discussed.

With so many improvements happening in the near future like the Passyunk Gateway, Mifflin triangle and pedestrian improvements starting soon at 12th and Passyunk, there’s certainly a lot to talk about. This event is free to the public on Saturday, May 2 from 2 p.m. through 3 p.m. The event starts at the Snyder Avenue subway station. You can find more info on this event here.

The second South Philly event is called Settling In: Immigration and Settlements in Philadelphia’s Old Southwark District. The event will meet at the old front steps of the Settlement Music School at 416 Queen Street and continue through Queen Village with a historical look at the earlier inhabitants of the area, specifically the immigrant population.

This walk will be led by Philadelphia historians and authors of Philadelphia’s Old Southwark District, Mehron and Heather Moqtaderi. The walking tour will end at Pier 53 Park. This walk is being held on Sunday, May 3 from 11 a.m. through 12 p.m. You can find more information on this walk here.