Get to know Cook Street – better than the locals

I’ve been living near the Cook Street Village for more than 30 years, but if you join me on a Jane’s Walk in the Village this Sunday, May 3 at 3 pm, I’m sure you’ll get to know this scenic, historic shopping and strolling area better than I do now.

Walk guides include City Councillor and planning maven Pam Madoff, writer Ken Roueche, author of A Fairfield History, and City arborist Robert Hughes, who will reveal the future of the majestic chestnut trees overhanging the street.

The Village is facing development pressures due to a new city plan which increases height and density in the area, contrary to previous plans. Some local residents are planning a Placemaking project for the Village.

This coming weekend is the world festival of Jane’s Walks and Victorians will join people in more than 130 cities world-wide in these citizen-led walks inspired by Canadian urbanist Jane Jacobs.

One of the eight other scheduled walks in Victoria is a re-creation of a downtown urban renewal tour organized in 1967 by a City planner for visiting politicians and architects from Seattle. Other local walks are in the downtown, Fernwood, Esquimalt, Burnside and South Jubilee.

For more information, see Jane’s Walk Victoria.

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Guest Author Bio

Sid Tafler
Fairfield resident, writer/editor, former board member of Fairfield Gonzales Community Association, co-founder of Streetlife committee of FGCA. He was Editor of Monday Magazine for six years and a contributor and columnist for the Globe and Mail.