Jane's Walk 2010

It’s been a long time my dear Pimpirilinos!
Let’s see…What I have been up to….
Since moving to UT, I’ve been crazy busy with school. I have loved every minute of it! Lots of camping, hiking and lots of school work! I decided to not only major in Architecture, but Urban Planning as well. I have fallen in-love with it and I’m very excited to learn more about it! I’m doing an internship with the cAP (College of Architecture and Planning)( http://www.arch.utah.edu/) and the Center for the Center for the Living City (http://janeswalkusa.wordpress.com/about-us/center-for-the-living-city/). I’m working with a project called “Jane’s Walk”. I am a coordinator for the States and Spanish outreach. We’re also working with Chile and Argentina to get some walks there as well. Well you may be asking yourself…what is this Pam?

Jane's Walk is a coordinated series of free neighborhood walking tours given by locals who care passionately about where they live, work and play. Jane's Walk is about raising urban literacy by offering a pedestrian focused event that combines insights into urban history, planning, design and civic engagement with the simple act of walking and observing.
It's about getting out and walking, observing your city, meeting your neighbors, discovering new areas, and learning about civic institutions and agencies that shape our urban existence. Jane's Walk helps knit people together into a strong and resourceful community, instilling belonging and encouraging civic leadership.

Jane Jacobs (1916-2006) was an urbanist and activist whose writings championed a fresh, community-based approach to city building. She had no formal training as a planner, and yet her 1961 treatise, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, introduced ground-breaking ideas about how cities function, evolve and fail that now seem like common sense to generations of architects, planners, politicians and activists. A firm believer in the importance of local residents having input on how their neighborhoods develop, Jacobs encouraged people to familiarize themselves with the places where they live, work and play with words like these:
"No one can find what will work for our cities by looking at suburban garden cities, manipulating scale models, or inventing dream cities. You've got to get out and walk." - Downtown is for People, 1957.

Well my dear friends in this case, if any of you are interested in hosting a walk, or know of some one that might (anywhere in the country) or the world as a matter of fact! Let me know. You can go to http://janeswalkusa.wordpress.com/ to check it our and/or register.

Funny little story… When I first moved to my building, I was throwing boxes outside, and I see by the garbage a pile of books, and since I think it should be a sin to throw away books, I look through them to see if there was anything worth having. One of the two books I picked was “The Death and Life of Great American Cities”, it’s name caught my name. Not knowing …first day I show up to my honors Arch/Planning class it is one of the assigned books to read! Coincidence? I don't know...I was delighted! I started reading it, as it was assigned and during Xmas break I finished it! The class is still going, since it is a year long class. But when it comes to this book and I…well we’re great friends! Later on while talking to a friend (The National Director for Jane’s Walk) we realize that I could be a great asset to the team. I went thinking that I would help host walks in Chile, and it has now moved into something much bigger and I LOVE IT! I couldn’t be happier! This is a great opportunity to do what I love and feel passionate about!
I love reading about your lives and adventures, I miss you all terribly! And hope to see you soon! I now should go get ready to go to physics class (not my favorite at this time)
Alright my Pimpirilinos…be good, take care and live strong!