Each year in May, Vienna holds a series of free and guided walking tours exploring the city’s neighborhoods called Jane’s Walks. This is part of an international festival in honor of an American urbanist by the name of Jane Jacobs.
The walking tours explore the Austrian capital’s vineyards, some of the ugliest buildings as well as the old passages and backyards. This year marks the second time Vienna takes part in the yearly event that aims to honor the activism of Jacobs and her efforts geared towards a community-based approach to city building.
Jane Jacobs passed away in 2006 and was the author of the book entitled “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” published in 1961. She became well known worldwide when she started a campaign against slum clearance in New York in the 1960s and 1970s.
The famous Jane’s Walks done in both German and English are aimed at providing people with an opportunity to learn about how people and the built-up environment are related as well as discuss other issues including contradictions and differences. Instead of professional guides, local residents who know their areas very well are the ones leading the tours.
