Invermere's First Jane Jacobs Walk

Originally published at https://www.columbiavalleypioneer.com/news/janes-walk-rolls-into-invermere/ by Ryan Watmough

How easy is it for everyone to get to downtown Invermere? Is there a different experience for the very young to the very old? Or for the most active to those that are disabled? And how does it differ for locals and visitors?

To discuss those answers and opinions, Thursday June 21st, starting from outside the Invermere Public Library, everyone is invited to the Columbia Valley’s first Jane’s Walk in downtown Invermere.

From the organization’s website, janeswalk.org, Jane’s Walk is an annual festival of free, citizen-led walking conversations inspired by Jane Jacobs (1916-2006), who was a “writer, urbanist and activist who championed the voices of everyday people in neighbourhood planning and city-building.”

Jane’s Walk is a community-building approach that “uses citizen-led walking tours to make space for people to observe, reflect, share, question and re-imagine the places in which they live, work and play.”

These guided tour-style events encourage people to share stories about their neighbourhoods, discover unseen aspects of their communities, and use walking as a way to connect with their neighbours.

The collaborative presentation, with groups like Access the Valley, Columbia Valley Community Foundation, Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce, Wildsight, District of Invermere, Cycling Without Age, and Columbia Valley Greenways Trails Alliance, and businesses, including Bicycle Works and Main Street Fun & Games, creates a natural theme of “Rolling into Town” and through downtown Invermere.

The two-hour event is intended to raise awareness and host knowledge-sharing around aspects of good accessible design; active transportation and supporting infrastructure; and the community economic development (CED) benefits of inclusive placemaking.

Participants will have a chance to discuss current placemaking and active transportation flow and learn about future plans for improvements.

Some improvements like StopGap ramps to get into businesses, beach wheelchairs and electric bicycles are already available, which improves Invermere’s accessibility.

Other services like trishaws, the Westside Legacy Trail, low-carbon transportation initiatives, and District of Invermere’s road and sidewalk plans are about to be implemented, which can have both inclusivity and economic spin-off effects, enabling both residents and visitors to spend more time and money in the community.

This 100-minute, 2.4 km walk – or “roll,” if you prefer – is an exceptional opportunity to discover more about Invermere’s past, learn about how it impacts inclusiveness now, and prioritize future opportunities to make it better.

The event will conclude at the Columbia Valley Centre lobby, where participants can provide feedback on what they learned, what they like, what they would like to see improved and who can be involved.

For more information, please visit the following link: Facebook event: Jane’s Walk Invermere – https://www.facebook.com/events/997517470414920/.