Jane Jacobs (1916-2006) was a writer, urbanist and activist who championed a community-based approach to city-building. She had no formal training as a planner, and yet her 1961 book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, introduced ground-breaking ideas about how cities function, evolve, and fail that have become conceptual pillars for today’s architects, planners, policymakers, activists, and other city builders.
There are four unique walks.
Gather beside the pedestrian bridge at the Spirit Square
Host: Glen Ewan K.C.
Join Glen on a walk around downtown to explore the history and tales of Golden’s past. This walk begins with the historical Kicking Horse pedestrian bridge.
Glen Ewan has had an active role in the community of Golden for nearly 50 years. He and his wife raised their three children in Golden and he is a grandpa to several grandchildren being raised in the community today. He is passionate about Golden and has a wealth of knowledge about its history.
Gather beside the pedestrian bridge at the Spirit Square
Host: Larry Sparks
Join Larry for a Riverside stroll starting from Spirit Square to explore the vision for the Canyon to Confluence Initiative (C2Ci) – A Community Connected to its Rivers. This will be a great opportunity to explore the initiative and converse with project staff.
Larry Sparks moved to Golden in 1995 to pursue a river guiding opportunity on the Kicking Horse River and never left. An enthusiastic river person who sees the big picture and the opportunities that lie within our community.
Where: Gather at the Art Gallery of Golden
Host: Frances Morphy
Guided walking tour through downtown Golden & Kicking Horse River.
When we use our imagination it lights up the same neural pathways in our brain as memory. Our past experiences help us to weave something new. The imagination is a power of the mind, it can help us create new meaning and move beyond the ordinary. When we tap into the imagination, our minds can dream any number of incredible possibilities. Yes, And? What else do you dream?
This year’s art walk will be an exercise of the imagination, where we encourage ourselves to dream about the community spaces we move through. Akin to Jane Jacob’s philosophy, we’ll ground ourselves in the community and how it operates as an ecosystem while also allowing ourselves to ask: What do we love about this space and what else is possible?
If you love your community, you’re a dreamer, a creative, or a curious mind, come and let your imagination run with us.
I’m Fran, and I’m the program coordinator for Kicking Horse Culture. This will be my second year leading a Jane’s Walk in Golden that’s inspired by the arts. I’m a writer, facilitator, artist and a creative thinker with a love for storytelling.
Gather outside the library
Host: Laura Larose
Join Laura for the library block walk, starting at the library, focusing on the history of the library in Golden and the area around its current home.
Laura Larose is the Community Librarian at the Golden Branch of the ORL. She grew up in one of Golden’s historic houses, where she developed a love of books and history! She now lives close to the library with her husband and two children.
For more information contact: