Gainesville Commissioner Bryan Eastman will conduct two Jane’s Walks on Friday and Saturday to discuss how city design impacts residents.
The first walk will be 6 p.m. Friday at downtown’s The Streatery construction site. The second will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Gainesville Cohousing, a private development in Northwest Gainesville near the Boys and Girls Club of North Central Florida.
Named for urbanist Jane Jacobs, these community-led walks happen around the world on the first weekend of May. Eastman’s walks will focus on different approaches to building stronger, more connected places, a press release said.
“These walks are about seeing how design shapes the way we live,” Eastman said in the release. “From streets to neighborhoods, we’re inviting people to explore what’s working, what’s not, and how we can build better communities together.”
Closed-toe shoes are recommended for The Streatery walk as residents enter an active construction site and talk to city staff about tradeoffs with pedestrian-only infrastructure, challenges on the site and design decisions. The walk will start at the intersection of SW 1st Avenue and S. Main Street.
Gainesville Cohousing (2570 NW 47th St., Gainesville) is built around shared green spaces intended to promote collaboration and neighbor interaction. That walk is themed around