This weekend, something simple but powerful is happening across cities worldwide.
People are walking.
Not just to get somewhere, but to observe, question, and experience the city together. That is the spirit of Jane's Walk, a global, community-led movement inspired by Jane Jacobs, inviting us to slow down and pay attention to the places we move through every day.
Jane’s Walk Festival brings thousands of people into the streets for free, citizen-led walking conversations, timed with Jane Jacobs’ birthday.
And as it happens, a new podcast episode landed this week that dives into exactly this question:
What do we actually mean when we talk about “urbanism” today?
Our founder and CEO Anastasia Sukhoroslova is the latest guest on The Sidewalk Ballet, a podcast presented by BIG Creative Consulting and hosted by Chip, Founder and CEO (Community Engagement Optimizer) of BIG Creative Consulting, a seasoned Place Management Professional, and an active member of our All Things Urban San Francisco Chapter.
In this episode, you will find:
✅ How All Things Urban grew into a global community of urbanists
✅ What “urbanism” really means today, and who gets to shape it
✅ How urban careers are shifting, and the transferable skills that travel with you across roles and cities
✅ Why networking and soft skills are often the real differentiators in this field
✅ Why frameworks may be shared, but the choreography always belongs to the place
The episode also features Sarah Luca, Co-Chair of the Jane’s Walk Festival, who shares how Jane’s Walks have grown into a worldwide movement rooted in local curiosity.
Find out more and listen to the episode
A note from Anastasia Sukhoroslova:
“In this episode I share how All Things Urban came to be, what “urbanism” really means today, and how ideas about cities travel across geographies (and what gets lost or found along the way).
We now connect 100,000+ of you, talented urbanists from around the world, with opportunities and with each other, and with leading organisations and universities globally, helping them promote their amazing programs, jobs, projects, initiatives, and events, and bring their programs and roles to the urbanists they're meant for.
We are proud to have worked with Oxford University, London School of Economics, ETH Zurich, ICLEI, EIT Urban Mobility, Public Practice, Project for Public Spaces, Global Designing Cities Initiative, and many-many more.
And this is only the beginning. We are committed to staying the place where you can track the career and industry trends shaping urbanism, and we are planning to grow our local chapters into more cities, expand our training and capacity building work (including GIS and spatial analysis for urban professionals and teams through the GeoSpatial Hub (co-founded with my project partner Juan Pablo Corral), deepen our dissemination support for organisations and universities shaping the field, and create more spaces, online and in person, where this global community can meet, learn, and build together.
None of this would exist without each one of you showing up. Thank you! 💛”
Find out more and listen to the episode
Once you’ve listened, put the ideas into practice.
Jane’s Walk is happening this weekend in cities around the world. Each walk is different. Each one is shaped by the people who show up.
A few from our community:
Chip is hosting two events in SoMa West under the theme of how the story of a place is told, who tells it, and how it shapes the place itself.
🗣️ SoMa Saturday Salon — Saturday, May 2nd, 5pm
A facilitated conversation featuring Desi Danganan (Kultivate Labs), Stuart Schuffman (Broke-Ass Stuart), Liz Cahill (Decentered Arts), and Piles Collective. Moderated by Alex Ludlum (SoMa West CBD). Reserve your spot
🚶 SoMa Sunday Stroll — Sunday, May 3rd, 11am
A guided walk through SoMa West to observe how a district’s stories are manifested in the built and natural environment. Reserve your spot
💌 Universities, organisations, and initiatives: if you want to reach a global community of 100,000+ urban professionals through curated campaigns, newsletters, webinars, or long-term partnerships, we would love to hear from you.
Reach out at community@allthingsurban.net.
Our Istanbul team is leading three walks across the city, each one shaped by the people who show up.
🚶 Kadıköy – Yeldeğirmeni District — Saturday, May 2nd, 1:00 PM
Followed by a workshop session.
🚶 Balat Route — Sunday, May 3rd, 1:00 PM
🚶 Golden Horn (Haliç) Route — Sunday, May 3rd, 4:00 PM
A huge thank you to our community members Fulya Halacoglu, Marianna Fedotova, Mehmet Eren Çelik, Refika Boz, Ege Yazgan, and Muhanad Azmi for making the Istanbul walks happen 💛
If you are somewhere else, there is likely a walk near you. Browse the global map and find one in your city.
🤝 Want to Be Part of an All Things Urban Local Chapter?
Our chapters bring together urbanists in cities including San Francisco, Istanbul, London, Berlin, Barcelona, Brussels, Madrid, and Paris, with more on the way. If you would like to join an existing chapter, help start one, or simply be the first to know when we launch in your city, express your interest below and our team will be in touch.
We talk a lot about scaling solutions, sharing best practices, and learning from other cities.
But this weekend is a reminder:
The real work of urbanism starts on the ground.
It’s in how people move through a street, how they use a space, how they interpret what they see.
The frameworks may be global. But the meaning is always local.
And that’s where things get interesting.
Forward this newsletter to a friend who would enjoy a walk this weekend, listen to the podcast, or be part of our global network:
If you listen to the episode, join a walk, or simply take a moment to observe your own neighborhood differently this weekend, you’re already part of it.
See you out there!
The All Things Urban team
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