Over 35 free walking tours are taking place around Vancouver this weekend (May 5 to 7) as part of an initiative inspired by influential American-Canadian writer, urban-planning activist, and “mother of Vancouverism” Jane Jacobs.

Titled Jane’s Walk, the international movement will see walking tours taking place in over 250 cities around the world and offers residents a chance to explore various neighbourhoods in their city while engaging in dialogue related to affordable housing, the arts, transportation, and more.

The Vancouver chapter of Jane’s Walk includes jaunts through sites like UBC, Strathcona, False Creek, Commercial Drive, and Wreck Beach led by master gardeners, City staff, and other citizens. Of special note is the False Creek North Neighbourhood tour guided by Vancouver's former co-director planner, Larry Beasley, who oversaw the development of the area during his time with the city.

Other walks include Urban Agriculture Around the Creek, which will explore the place of community gardens amid issues of density and gentification; the Arbutus Greenway: A Transportation Transformation, which will engage attendees in a discussion related to the opportunities and challenges the inactive railway corridor presents; and Burnabyism, which will delve into the decisions related to the Brentwood area’s massive overhaul while offering guests a peek into the construction site.

Local art, meanwhile, takes centre stage in tours such as the English Bay Public Art Tour and Getting Where You Want to Go Beautifully. In English Bay, representatives from the Vancouver Biennale will lead citizens through English Bay and Sunset Beach, offering insight on three recognizable public-art installations along the way. In Getting Where You Want to Go, residents will travel by SkyTrain to see artworks—some new, some existing—at various stations on the Expo Line. The role of public art and its effect on the community will be discussed in both tours.

The weekend will kick off with the Main Street Pizza Walk tonight (May 5), where attendees will be able to sample slices of pizza in the Mount Pleasant 'hood.

All tours are free and range from one to two hours in the afternoon or early evening. Many are child-, pet-, and bicycle-friendly. Many are also accessible for people with disabilities.

For more information about Jane’s Walk, including a full list of tours and times, click here.