Join Pablo on Friday 10th at 10 am for a walk along the Westway in North Kensington about the relevance of community activism and social movements in shaping the area. The walk will uncover the capacity of activist movements in the area to defend their community assets from commodification or closure to produce new forms of social infrastructure. 

Participants are asked to book in advance via the link below: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jwl-festival-2024-community-activism-in-the-westway-north-kensington-tickets-894467655837?aff=oddtdtcreator

Dr Pablo Sendra is an architect and urban designer and Associate Professor at The Bartlett School of Planning, UCL, who combines his academic career with professional work through his own urban design practice, LUGADERO LTD, which focuses on facilitating co-design processes with communities. He has carried out co-design processes in Wimbledon, North Kensington, Seville (Spain), and has collaborated with several community groups across London. At UCL, he is the Director of the MSc Urban Design and City Planning Programme and the Coordinator of the Civic Design CPD. He has carried out action-research projects in collaboration with activists and communities, including working with residents from social housing estates such as Alton Estate or South Kilburn Estate. He is co-author of Designing Disorder (with Richard Sennett, 2020), Community-Led Regeneration (with Daniel Fitzpatrick, 2020), and co-editor of Civic Practices (with Maria Joao Pita and CivicWise, 2017).

Accessibility: #fullyaccessible #flatrout #seniorswelcome #breaks #familyfriendly

The walk will explore the Strand Aldwych scheme, which involved the removal of a polluted four lane gyratory to reclaim over 7000 sqm of accessible public space in the heart of the City. It will be led by Ruchi Chakravarty, who led the design, development and delivery of the scheme for Westminster City Council. The discussion will focus on urban design and holistic placemaking, which formed the basis of the scheme and will explore the changes to the Strand and the Aldwych.

Participants are asked to book in advance via the link below: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jwl-festival-2024-from-buses-to-bells-birdsong-tickets-894461647867?aff=oddtdtcreator

Ruchi Chakravarty is an urban designer with a focus on holistic placemaking and nearly two decades of experience leading the design and delivery of projects and programmes of various scales across the UK, US, India, Middle East and Africa, including the newly created Strand Aldwych in London. She is passionate about raising the level of public experience in cities and a strong advocate of people focused urbanism, co-creative design processes and multidisciplinary design thinking. Ruchi combines her expertise and experience to help create deliver impactful places which benefit communities in an equitable manner.

Accessibility: #seniorswelcome #familyfriendly #petfriendly #wheelchairfriendly

Walk from Lea Bridge to Regents Canal and Angel via Hackney, discovering more about hidden gems, local independent businesses and green oasis. Preview the route on Go Jauntly 

Participants are encouraged to RSVP in advance via the link below: https://community.nationalparkcity.org/posts/54107530?utm_source=manual

Michael Shilling is a photographer, filmmaker and London National Park City Ranger. He works with several Charities and organisations across London including Footways, ecoACTIVE and CPRE London.   

Accessibility: #longdistance #petfriendly

Led by Antonio, the young Art Councillors and other pupils from the Soho Parish Primary School, the walk will take them on a journey through the nearby streets around the school to test the curatorial decision-making process they made earlier in the classroom for the upcoming exhibition of the 4th annual edition of the Soho Kids Xmas Lights, which will take place in Soho, London. 

The WalkShop will start in the classroom with the young Art Councillors and some pupils acting as curators of the exhibition, and to inspire them, Antonio will facilitate an introductory workshop for the kids to explore topics about curating and exhibiting; and with the help of a site map and pictures of the selected locations previously agreed by Westminster Council, they will choose the lamp posts to exhibit their lighting designs. 

During the actual walk through the streets of Soho, the pupils will critically analyse and test through sketching and discussions among themselves and with local residents, business owners, and visitors, the choices and decisions they made in the classroom.

Antonio Capelao is the founder director of Architecture for Kids CIC; founder and co-producer of Soho Kids Xmas Lights and Cardiff Kids Xmas Lights; founder, host, and co-producer of Architecture for Kids podcast; founding director of a small architectural practice in London; and Year 1 studio leader in Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University. Antonio has extensive experience with organising and running co-design projects with primary school pupils, and leading live briefs that focus on the production of urban artefacts in community environments and he is currently studying MPhil/PhD at UCL IOE and The Bartlett researching how the shared expertise of architects and teachers can be utilised to plan, implement and deliver an authentic STEAM project focusing on architecture and sustainability.

The Barbican and Golden Lane Estate district is home to many of the City of London’s 9000 residents. The area has recently set up a Neighbourhood Forum, the only body of its kind in the City of London. It is working to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan for the area. A neighbourhood plan gives the local community a statutory role in the planning process giving it the right to comment on planning applications and the development in this part of the City which is home to word-class architecture and culture as well as being a dynamic place to live.

Much of the area was developed in the post-war period in a City devastated by the Blitz. Developments like Golden Lane, the Barbican Estate and the creation of the London Wall offices were being created at roughtly the same time that Jane Jacobs was engaged in campaigning against proposals by Robert Moses for the development of New York and the Bronx.

This Jane’s Walk will take visitors around the edge of Barbican and Golden Lane Neighbourhood area and provide a chance to discuss:

• why a plan is a good idea; 

• how it could work; 

• why this part of London could benefit; and 

• how this approach might make us all better neighbours. 

And as we celebrate the life and work of Jane Jacobs, it will ask – who is the Jane Jacobs for the 21st century and who is our own Robert Moses?

Participants are asked to book in advance via the link below: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/being-neighbourly-in-the-city-of-london-tickets-888441040067?aff=oddtdtcreator

Paul Lincoln is a Golden Lane Estate resident, JWL Leader 2022 & 2023 and City of London/Open City guide. He is involved with Imagine Golden Lane at Net Zero which campaigns to prepare the estate for a net zero future. Details of the Barbican and Golden Lane Neighbourhood Forum can be found here: https://bglneighbours.wordpress.com/   

Accessibility: #wheelchairfriendly #seniorswelcome #bicycleswelcome

A short photo walk from Waterloo Station to the London National Park City Visitors Centre with Lenses of Croydon. The evening will include talks from Lenses of Croydon members, Brutalism in Colour and London In 360.

• 6pm Photowalk - Meet inside Waterloo Station at the entrance to The Sidlings (on the fake grass). 

• 7pm Evening Talks at 109 Fleet Street

Participants are encouraged to RSVP in advance via the link below:

https://community.nationalparkcity.org/posts/53643346?utm_source=manual

Lenses of Croydon is a South London based connector for photographers of all levels who live, work or study in and around the London borough of Croydon. Our aim is to aid all members of the group to enhance their creative skills and to build their portfolio while networking with others.

Accessibility: #fullyaccessible #flatroute #familyfriendly #breaks

Walk from Epping Forest to Lea Bridge through the centre of Walthamstow and the marshes, discovering more about the area. Preview the route on Go Jauntly 

Participants are encouraged to RSVP in advance via the link below: https://community.nationalparkcity.org/posts/54108023?utm_source=manual

Michael Shilling is a photographer, filmmaker and London National Park City Ranger. He works with several Charities and organisations across London including Footways, ecoACTIVE and CPRE London.   

Accessibility: #longdistance #petfriendly #wheelchairfriendly #stepfree

A lot has changed in Elephant and Castle of late, but tucked behind soaring skyscrapers, construction sites and busy roundabouts are clues to its curious history and current struggles… 

From whales to pink elephants, raves in caves to salsa bars, modernist dreams to development nightmares, join Sophie and Chris to peel back the layers of London’s best-known Elephant together, and add your stories, memories and imaginings into the mix.

Participants are asked to book in advance via the link below: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jwl-festival-2024-many-elephants-tickets-891116853497?aff=oddtdtcreator

Chris Jones is a long time Elephant person and takes different and varied people on tours of the area here and there. It's usually fun! Also has written many booklets about the so-called regeneration of the area. 56a Infoshop is a long-term volunteer-run, 100% unfunded, DIY social centre in Walworth, South London since 1991. We share a collectively-run building with the brilliant Fareshares Food Co-op and the awesome 56a Bikespace.

Sophie Wall grew up not far from the Elephant. After returning from living in Colombia she was thankful to find that authentic salsa and pandebono was right around the corner from her childhood home. Since becoming part of Latin Elephant, Sophie has worked across advocacy, campaigning, co-ordinating projects, communications, and outreach. Latin Elephant is an organisation based in Elephant and Castle that empowers racilased communities to engage in processes of urban change, and advocates for the right of those affected by regeneration. 

Accessibility: #petfriendly #wheelchairfriendly #bicycleswelcome #loudnoise #seniorswelcome

Join ecoACTIVE and walk The Hackney BuzzLine, an innovative initiative aimed at improving pollinator habitats, enhancing cycling and walking routes, and engaging community-based bodies and residents in planting for bees and butterflies.

This walk is over flat terrain, and most of the footpaths have hard surfaces. There are some sections that haven’t been surfaced and these can become muddy in wet weather so please wear appropriate footwear.

Participants are encouraged to RSVP in advance via the link below: https://community.nationalparkcity.org/posts/53643529?utm_source=manual

Michael Shilling is a photographer, filmmaker and London National Park City Ranger. He works with several Charities and organisations across London including Footways, ecoACTIVE and CPRE London.   

ecoACTIVE is an innovative environmental education charity. They offer workshops and courses for schools and community groups, and support community gardening projects.

Accessibility: #longdistance #wearappropriatefootwear 

The walk will explore a selection of Brickflats, a street art project by Raphael Vangelis. Small one-of-a-kind “flats” are fitted in place of a missing brick within a damaged wall. Vangelis started the project in London after the pandemic, as a commentary on the global housing market, compact living, and cost of living crisis. The mini real estate empire of brick flats which started in London has since expanded to Barcelona and Salzburg. 

You'll be “flat hunting” for six brick flats along Regents Canal to Victoria Park. Along the way, you'll also learn about Vangelis’ creative process, inspiration, and outlook as a street artist in London - who was interviewed in preparation for this walk. A broader discussion on life in Islington, Hackney, and Bethnal Green will accompany each “flat viewing”, including background on urban planning, the London housing market, household makeup, and access to green + blue spaces. Sharing personal experiences living, working, and playing in the area is welcomed and highly encouraged! 

If you are interested in discovering small, unexpected delights, while chatting about street art, housing, urban planning, and green + blue space - come along for the journey! 

Please wear comfortable shoes and note that some areas of the canal will be busy and maybe inaccessible for wheelchair users or those with mobility challenges. 

Participants are asked to book in advance via the link below: 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jwl-festival-2024-flat-hunting-for-brickflats-tickets-877411139337

Savannah Willits is an urban analyst with a multidisciplinary background in economic policy, real estate, and market research. She is passionate about understanding the interdisciplinary urban systems and ecosystems that make up the living organisms we know as cities. Savannah currently leads PLP Labs, a design research collaborative at PLP Architecture, that explores emerging ideas related to people, the planet, and technology with leading international experts.

Accessibility: #petfriendly #busyroute #uneventerrain #familyfriendly #wearappropriatefootwear

Not many would believe that Notting Hill, now an extremely wealthy part of London, was once notorious for being a “slum”. This tour explores the stories behind the streets of Notting Hill and how their effects can be seen decades on.

Once a rural farmland owned by the Ladbroke Family, Notting Hill began to develop in the late 1700s with the family's dream of turning it into a lavish estate that rivals Regent's Park. While it may seem that their dream has finally become a reality, the area up until the second half of the 20th century had dilapidated into a slum. Fast-forward to today, Notting Hill is one of London’s most sought-after areas and has been witness to drastic racial tensions and hyper-gentrification. 

Architecture and urban spaces are the backdrop to everyday life. People influence how these spaces take shape, but these spaces also have the power to make or break communities. Decisions made in architecture and urban planning often have long-lasting effects on communities and inevitably instigate gentrification – a problem most districts in London face today.

This tour will trace back the history of Notting Hill and the struggles of its people - from the Piggeries and Potteries to the Notting Hill Race Riots of 1958 to the erection of the Westway Flyover that sliced through communities  -  using the urban fabric to understand the underlying tensions and their influence until this day.

Participants are asked to book in advance via the link below: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-traces-that-remain-stories-from-notting-hill-tickets-890101807467?aff=oddtdtcreator

Sally Itani is a London-based architect and photographer from Lebanon. Growing up between London and Beirut, her work explores the notion of home, identity, and the politics of space, using photography as a means of exploration and expression. She is particularly interested in gentrification and the manifestations of social injustices through the built environment. Sally is a 2023 Golden Key Academy Graduate and hosts walking tours exploring these themes around different parts of London. 

Accessibility: #petfriendly #seniorswelcome #familyfriendly #wheelchairfriendly #bicycleswelcome

Join textile artist and London National Park City Ranger Elly Platt  for a walk along South London’s River Wandle. The Wandle was a heavily industrialised river in the 18th and 19th centuries and was declared “dead” in the 1960s but has been restored to life over the last 50 years and is now a beautiful chalk stream habitat and home to a wide variety of wildlife.

Travel back in time as you travel along the Wandle Trail and find out about the Wandle’s rich history as a site of textile production, and how this history is a microcosm of the global textile industry today.

Learn about the challenges that the Wandle faces from single use plastic pollution and wastewater discharges, and how local activists have been working to improve this environment for years.

The walk will take you from restored chalk stream to culverted urban river, from new housing developments to National Trust gardens, from modern industry to the repurposed buildings of the Liberty Print Works.

This walk is over flat terrain, and most of the footpaths have hard surfaces. There are some sections that haven’t been surfaced and these can become muddy in wet weather so please wear appropriate footwear. There are toilets at the LIDL opposite Hackbridge station, at Morden Hall Park and Merton Abbey Mills. 

Participants are encouraged to RSVP in advance via the link below: https://community.nationalparkcity.org/posts/55272792?utm_source=manual

Elly Platt is a textile artist and a London National City Park Ranger.

Accessibility: #longdistance #wearappropriatefootwear

The Barbican and Golden Lane Estate district is home to many of the City of London’s 9000 residents. The area has recently set up a Neighbourhood Forum, the only body of its kind in the City of London. It is working to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan for the area. A neighbourhood plan gives the local community a statutory role in the planning process giving it the right to comment on planning applications and the development in this part of the City which is home to word-class architecture and culture as well as being a dynamic place to live.

Much of the area was developed in the post-war period in a City devastated by the Blitz. Developments like Golden Lane, the Barbican Estate and the creation of the London Wall offices were being created at roughtly the same time that Jane Jacobs was engaged in campaigning against proposals by Robert Moses for the development of New York and the Bronx.

This Jane’s Walk will take visitors around the edge of Barbican and Golden Lane Neighbourhood area and provide a chance to discuss:

• why a plan is a good idea; 

• how it could work; 

• why this part of London could benefit; and 

• how this approach might make us all better neighbours. 

And as we celebrate the life and work of Jane Jacobs, it will ask – who is the Jane Jacobs for the 21st century and who is our own Robert Moses?

Participants are asked to book in advance via the link below: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/being-neighbourly-in-the-city-of-london-tickets-888445312847?aff=oddtdtcreator

Paul Lincoln is a Golden Lane Estate resident, JWL Leader 2022 & 2023 and City of London/Open City guide. He is involved with Imagine Golden Lane at Net Zero which campaigns to prepare the estate for a net zero future. Details of the Barbican and Golden Lane Neighbourhood Forum can be found here: https://bglneighbours.wordpress.com/   

Accessibility: #wheelchairfriendly #seniorswelcome #bicycleswelcome

Forgotten for years, these days, the canals are one of London's worst kept secrets for weekend walks, where you can leave the bustling of the city without really leaving it.

Once derelict, more and more people can see their value these days. Its renewed popularity makes them an attractive place for business as well as serving as community meeting space.

As part of the walk participants are encouraged to become urban explorers, and to take pictures of the different public spaces visited and how people use them, the role of the light, the height and bulk of buildings...

We will join the canal at East of Angel, and look into some of the past history of the Canal but also it's present. We will see some examples of the adaptive reuse of industrial buildings, new mixed-use developments, two major estate regeneration

projects (the Packington and Colville Estates) We will look at the extent to which both new and adaptive projects consider the ecosystem of the canal and the local character of the area.

Please wear comfortable shoes as pavement on the canals is uneven in some areas, and a water bottle. Also there is no shelter along the Canal, so wear weather appropriate clothing (either a raincoat or a sun hat - this year, who knows!)

Participants are asked to book in advance via the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jwl-festival-2024-from-industrial-past-to-sustainable-future-tickets-881053824707

Minerva Romay is an Architect specialising in Sustainable Conservation. She lives and works in Islington, and is passionate about how to bring historic buildings and places back to life, so they can still be enjoyed by future generations. She also has an interest in sociology and place-making, and for years she has been looking for the answer to the question: what makes a successful public space? 

Accessibility: #petfriendly #familyfriendly #seniorswelcome #breaks #uneventerrain #loudnoise #wearappropriateclothing

Becoming Urbanimals explores the blurring of the boundaries between the human and the more than human. Partners Neil (Socio-biological educator) and Marcelo (Psychogeographer) will lead a walking conversation that mixes history, folklore, migration and resistance to help you understand together why various Urbanimals call London home and what the sanctuary of the marshes provides. They welcome conversations and sharing of stories of diverse lived experiences within London and the marshes, with a focus on engagement with the wider everliving community of these places. 

Please wear comfortable shoes that may need to tolerate a bit of mud or puddles as we cross the marshes.

Participants are asked to book in advance via the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jwl-festival-2024-becoming-urbananimals-tickets-897340358167?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Marcelo’s research and practice unfolds in two strands: participatory governance and cultural democracy. He is Head of Delivery for Participation at the Imperial War Museums and Artistic Director of Applied Live Art Studio. His focus is on working collaboratively with communities, sector support, research and organisational strategy to help improve participatory practice. He has created and delivers the Central Saint Martin College of Art & Design Short Course: Health & Wellbeing through Artmaking since 2019. 

Neil is a science teacher and PhD candidate in environmental education. He is interested in the stories held within urban places and communities that connect us to the animals, plants, fungi, and ecosystems we are entangled with. His research is around how we can use these mutually shared stories to improve our relationships to each other and to a more inclusively understood environment.

Accessibility: #petfriendly #familyfriendly #seniorswelcome #breaks #uneventerrain # bicycleswelcome #breaks

Join Paul Wood (aka The Street Tree) and Divya Hariramani  (aka Fruity Walks) for a guided tour of the trees around the National Park City Visitors Centre, a film screening and Q&A. 

Participants are encouraged to RSVP in advance via the link below: https://community.nationalparkcity.org/posts/54909993?utm_source=manual

🌎 Join Dionne + guests live from different parts of the world for an interactive and participatory walk in nature. Participate (or just enjoy the sonic vibes) from wherever you are, and you’ll connect in nature, together!

Whether from your own walk / garden / gazing out of the window from home, you have 45 minutes of live interactive programming broadcast from outside, where you’re taken into nature + can join Dionne live from wherever you are.

Will require access to internet, and for best results, headphones.

Details of how you can easily connect and interact on this nature walkabout will be sent out 48 hours before the event.

🌱 How can we get our body, minds, breath and energy back into balance with the natural rhythms of the season we’re in? You’ll explore themes including:

• • • **Noticing**: respectfully and sustainably honouring the transition, where we are at, from the ground upwards. Rooting down to rise up and bloom - just like the flowers! 🌺

    • **Nourishment**: exploring ways to refresh, reinspire, rejuvenate and reinvigorate ourselves. 💦

    • **Connection**: with the season, ourselves, our practice, creativity and uniqueness. We will also connect to nature sonically! 🌱

Dionne is a transdisciplinary artist, spacemaker, writer, teacher, DJ, creative producer, changemaker, somatic + embodiment explorer based between the UK and Norway, via the Caribbean.

Her work entwines art, embodiment, ecology, sound + care and focuses on accessible, inclusive, sustainable and socially-engaged practice, creating installations and community building experiences internationally and online. She is currently studying MA Fine Art at Central Saint Martins.

Accessibility: #accesstointernet

In this walk, participants from around the world will use photography to share their unique stories of finding the heart of their respective city. If the city were a living organism, where would its heart be? Is it a place of refuge amid the chaos of the city? The cultural epicentre that pumps lifeblood through the city’s arteries? In this walk, we hope to transcend geographical borders by sharing urban photo-based souvenirs of the places in our cities that bring us a sense of belonging, energy, or vitality. 

While this walk will be listed on the festival homepages of Vienna (Austria), NYC (USA), Toronto (Canada), and London (UK), anybody anywhere is welcome to join. The Walk Leaders only ask that you share a photo with them that to you shows the heart of the city you are in, as well as a brief description. You can submit your photo and description at this link.

Then, on Sunday May 12th at 1:00 pm EST / 6:00 pm GMT, Celia and Wesley will host a virtual call for people to share their photos and their stories. You are still welcome to join the call even if you didn’t submit a photo! You will have a conversation on what it means to find or feel the heart of the city, using the photos and stories from those from at least two different cities across the globe as a starting point. 

Celia is Co-Chair of Jane's Walk, currently living in London, UK and originally from Vancouver, Canada. She's a Senior Service Designer for a local authority in London who uses community-led design processes to build more equitable, accessible public sercives. She recently completed her Masters in Urban Studies where she lived in four different European cities over two years and explored—through storytelling and scientific research—questions of what it means to belong in a city.

Wesley is Co-Chair of Jane's Walk, currently living in Toronto, Canada. He's a multidisciplinary artist with a passion for community building, collaborative design, public space and queer advocacy. He is Toronto Program Manager at Park People, sits on the advisory board at Urbanminds and is currently creating a podcast and participatory theatre show that focus on city-building, community consultations and equitable futures.

The Jane’s Walk Steering Committee is a 12-person, all-voluntary group governing Jane’s Walk Toronto and the global Jane's Walk movement. The majority of the Steering Committee is based in Toronto, on the unceded territories of the Wendat, Haudenosaunee, the Anishinabeg, and the Mississaugas of the Credit people. It was formed by some of the people who convened the original Jane’s Walks in 2006. The Steering Committee is responsible for hiring a team to organize and coordinate the Toronto Jane’s Walk Festival each year. The Steering Committee also stewards the global project by fostering conversation among Jane’s Walk City Organizers, liaising with Jane Jacobs’ surviving family and friends, and providing guidance on the principles and practicalities of leading a Jane’s Walk.

Accessibility: #internetaccess