Jane's Walk

Jane Jacobs’ Audio Tour

The Annex is one of Toronto’s most storied neighbourhoods. Its tree-lined streets have inspired writers and artists, its old houses have watched as wave after wave of immigrants from all over the world passed through, and over the decades, generations of people have loved to both live in the Annex and visit it. One of the Annex’s most famous residents was urban thinker and writer Jane Jacobs. Jacobs, who moved to the neighbourhood in 1968 from New York City and stayed until her death in 2006.

Jacobs was the author of five books, including The Death and Life of Great American Cities that would forever change the way people think about cities. This walking tour will introduce you to some of Jane Jacobs’ ideas through the story of the Annex.

Featuring the voices of Max Allen, Bobbi Speck, Amanda McConnell, Katherine Govier, Katherine Gildiner, Jack Batten, students at University of Toronto Schools and Jane Jacobs herself.

The audio walking tour availabe here and is free to the general public and can be downloaded and listened to at any time. It is not for commercial use or re-broadcast in any form.

The life and work of Jane Jacobs, a Toronto resident from 1968 until her death in 2006, continue to inspire citizens and planners to look closely at how people live, work and play in their urban environment. For more information on Jane Jacobs, see our bibliography posted here.

“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.”
- Jane Jacobs, writer & urban visionary

This audio walking tour is a collaboration between the City of Toronto – Office of the Public Realm, CBC/Radio Canada and Jane’s Walk.

The audio tour was produced by Sarah Elton, a writer, journalist and food columnist for CBC Radio’s Here & Now. She is the editor of "City of Words: Toronto Through Her Writers’ Eyes", a collection of Toronto authors writing about the city (Cormorant Books, 2009). Her most recent book, "Locavore: From Farmers' Fields To Rooftop Gardens, How Canadians Are Changing the Way We Eat" (Harper Collins) is a best-seller.