Walking in the City with Jane: A Story of Jane Jacobs

Based on actual events and photographs, Walking in the City with Jane is a fictionalized account of author and urban thinker Jane Jacobs (1916-2006) who spent her early years in New York City, moving to Toronto in 1968 at the age of 52.

In this story, Jacobs is a bit of a rebel who is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. Her interest in observation, whether it be of nature, people, or how things work, leads to her to the realization that a city is a type of ecosystem whose components work together to make the city healthy and vibrant. As a journalist who views cities as places for communities of people and not businesses, Jacobs opposes the city planners’ decision to bulldoze old neighbourhoods and replace them with boring, identical highrise buildings, and so she pens an article criticizing the city’s plan. When a powerful city planner decides to tear down Jacobs’ neighbourhood in order to make room for a highway, Jacobs writes letters of protest and attends rallies with her family and neighbours to express their displeasure. The protesters win the battle, but two years later, that same city planner has a new idea: to build an eight-lane highway through the centre of town. Once again, Jacobs springs into action, and the plan is thwarted. Another two years go by, and the proposal rears its ugly head again. Jacobs is arrested after she and some other activists interrupt a meeting about the expressway. Again the city cancels its plans. When Jacobs moves to Toronto, she continues her activism and is successful in halting the construction of an expressway designed to cut through her neighbourhood.

The main strengths of this book are that it encourages readers to take a stand and voice their opinions about important issues, to never doubt that a single person can make a difference, and to find beauty in city life. The writing has pockets of interesting prose: when referring to people out and about in the city, Jacobs says, “All in the same space and doing different things- chatting, shopping, working, relaxing…it’s like a sidewalk ballet, isn’t it?” But, for the most part, the writing lacks vibrancy. Mention of the young Jacobs’ imaginary friends really adds nothing to the story and goes nowhere, and one also questions the wording of this sentence: “Throughout her lifetime and beyond, Jane Jacobs urged city planners to make cities better for the people living in them.” And, since Jacobs is not well-known, it is unlikely that readers will be drawn to this book. Perhaps it will have regional appeal.

The illustrations are rendered mostly in subtle shades of green, blue and tan, and, though they suit the setting in terms of time and place, they do not add any interesting details. An author’s note at the back of the book provides a brief bio of Jacobs.

Though Walking in the City with Jane would be a good addition to a collection of titles about social activism, solely as a picture book it is somewhat lacking and will have a limited audience.