Sign up for a Jane's Walk (if you can)

An overseas Chinese support association, 武裕平民互助会, with Lee Huat Motoring just behind the tree.

As always, spaces for Jane's Walks are filling up fast. Jane's Walk is an annual series of free, volunteer-led urban walks that honour urbanist, journalist, author, and activist Jane Jacobs (4 May 1916 - 25 April 2006), and her efforts to champion the voices of the masses in neighbourhood planning and city-building.

This May will mark Jane’s Walk Singapore's 7th annual series of walks. Sixteen Walk Leaders have stepped forward to offer 18 walks, covering themes such as architecture, the creation of public spaces with conserved buildings, gentrification, migrant workers, and the achievements of outstanding Singaporean women.

Jane's Walks usually take place on the first weekend of May, which is Jacobs' birth month, but walks planned this year will extend across more weekends in May.

The following walks are already full, a combination of popularity, small quotas, and the growing awareness of the invaluable knowledge that Jane's Walks can impart:

- Walking in their Sandals, about migrant workers' lives as illustrated by Farrer Park and Little India.

- Walking in the Footsteps of Our Foremothers, around the Waterloo area and the Civic District.

- Luv Wild Faber Trek over the Telok Blangah Hills (this one always sells out very quickly)
 
- Sails and Ships of Steel and Glass on Reclaimed Land: A Historical Walk around Marina Bay 

Explore:

Read about a Jane's Walk attended in 2018

Check out Jane's Walks available for Singapore

Delving into the heritage of Bukit Panjang, Singapore

Jane's Walk, the annual movement of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by Jane Jacobs, a journalist, author, and activist whose work has influenced urban studies, sociology, and economics, has continued to receive enthusiastic support in Singapore. According to organisers, walks were getting sold out within hours of their unveiling.

The walks, held around Jacobs' birthday in early May, get people to tell stories about their communities, explore the city and connect with neighbours.

I attended a sold-out walk on May 5, At the Crossroads: Bukit Panjang, this year. The extremely knowledgeable walk guides Eisen (@Eisen), a senior history researcher and docent with a Singapore-based heritage consultancy, and Jinhua (@Kuekj), a translator and a former lifestyle writer and editor, spent three hours bringing the past, present and future of the neighbourhood to life. As @Eisen said, "Every building has a story and so has every road."

Bukit Panjang, so named after a nearby chain of low hills, has seen much change. The beginning of the walk centred the road junction around which Bukit Panjang village spung up over a hundred years ago. There were a number of stops here, including malls - the Hillion mall used to be a market - the terminus of the 42 km Downtown Line, and the Murugan Hill Temple, part of which evolution has been directed by dreams. Of major landmarks in Bukit Panjang, only the Esso Station has remained.

There would have been a village cinema nearby, Sin Wah Theatre. It had no air-conditioning, and a zinc roof and walls. Tickets used to cost just 50 cents. Bukit Panjang's entertainment centre was demolished in the 1980s.

The "MBS of Bukit Panjang" and the longest condominium in Singapore, the Linear condominium's concept was designed by architect Kenzo Tange.  

The confluence of Upper Bukit Timah Road, Woodlands Road and Choa Chu Kang Road was called 10-mile junction, and one of the malls is still called Junction 10. There is also a Tennery condominium. @Eisen and @Kuekj shared that the "10th mile" is 10 miles away from from the General Post Office (now Fullerton Hotel), and would have been the way people located parts of Singapore in the past. Singapore moved to kilometres to measure road distances in the 1970s, our guides said.

There was also a roundabout nearby, Bukit Panjang Circus (roundabout), which lasted 23 years. It was converted into a traffic signal junction in 1980. In the 1960s, there were over 40 roundabouts, with no need for traffic lights or police.

Bukit Panjang is an integrated transport hub today, hosting not only the mass rapid transit but also a light rail system and a bus interchange. Trains used to run through the area as well.

The light rail transit (LRT) system was first announced in 1991, with the system launched in 1999. It is Singapore's first driverless and fully automated system. The train windows have privacy filters when passing Housing Development Board blocks.

What we learned:

There was a private road named Jalan Cheng Hwa, and a school also called Cheng Hwa in the area.
The original Cheng Hwa school had 1,600 enrolment in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which was high for Singapore in those days. It closed in 1985.

The name lives on as the Pinyinised Zhenghua, used in the names of a primary and a secondary school, as well as a nature park. There used to be a neighbourhood called Zhenghua but the public did not like the Pinyin name. In 1987 the HDB renamed Zhenghua New Town to Bukit Panjang New Town.

An overseas Chinese support association, 武裕平民互助会, with Lee Huat Motoring just behind the tree. 

We also stopped at 10 Mile Junction station. This LRT station is the only one that is air conditioned, has full height platform screen doors, fare gates on the same level as the platform, and only one track. It is also closing this year because of insufficient demand.
The flats in Bukit Panjang have blocks in varying heights to reflect the hilly terrain of the area.

Pang Sua Pond has the 2nd-largest floating wetlands in Singapore. @KuekJ discussed the origins of the name of the place. If "sua" is hill, then "pang" might mean "beside" or "fragrant"; "pang sua" could also mean "weighing sand" or "offloading sand", he said.

The adjoining Senja Cashew Community Club has an infinity pool and a jacuzzi. A number of roads are named after nuts in the neighbourhood, including the almond, hazel and chestnut.

Another area is within Bukit Panjang is known as Dairy Farm, after an actual air-conditioned dairy farm in the 1930s. We still have a Dairy Farm Group, which runs pharmacies, convenience stores and supermarkets in Asia.

The Bukit Panjang Post Office, marked by where the blue strip is, used to be a smaller, standalone building. Although it is now in Choa Chu Kang after constituency lines were redrawn, it is still known as Bukit Panjang Post Office.

This area used to have rubber plantations. There is no road sign, but road directories named this as Lorong Ah Thia.

In 1903, a train ran from Singapore to Thailand, passing by Bukit Panjang. The train company eventually became KTM (Keretapi Tanah Melayu). The train from Singapore to Malaysia closed for good in 2011. By 2011, the train crossing in Bukit Panjang was 108 years old.

The Rail Corridor Test Track features four different types of surfaces that could be used for a permanent track. The feedback site is down, @Kuekj said.

Details:

Look out for updates for 2019 in Singapore on the Jane's Walk Singapore Facebook page

Jane's Walks around the world can be found in a city near you.

Visit Bukit Panjang's website - the blog for this was last updated in 2013

Read the history-oriented Long and Winding Road blog about the 10th mile

Read recollections of 10th mile area in the past (Chinese)

Watch the video of the removal of a milestone marker by the National Heritage Board

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog post about 2018 Jane's Walks

Hashtag: #JanesWalkSG, #JanesWalkBPJ

Jane's Walk Singapore mixes old favourites with new walks

Source: Jane's Walk Peatix page.
Jane's Walk logo.

Jane's Walk Singapore has updated its Peatix group for free walks happening on the weekend of May 4 to 6. Jane's Walk is an annual movement of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by Jane Jacobs. The walks get people to tell stories about their communities, explore the city and connect with neighbours.

At the time of writing, many of the walks were already full, though new sessions may be opened by guides. Popular walks include those exploring Emerald Hill, the Little India area with a focus on migrant workers, and a trek from Botanic Gardens to Bukit Brown. Walk difficulty is typically mentioned, as well as the duration and whether children are welcome.

The following walks are some of those which are still open:

Gardens with a Difference, May 5 8am to 11am, will be led by guides Bala and Bianca who will share stories about the heritage of the gardens and of the nature there. There will also be story-telling combined with yoga stretching exercises as part of this walk, and a walk through the Learning Forest. The ending point is at the Tanglin Gate. Bala and Bianca are volunteers with Animal Allies, a group which inspires people to make more compassionate, healthy and sustainable choices in Singapore by a plant-based diet.

The Elegance of Emerald Hill, May 6 10am to 11.30am, will be about the history and stories behind Singapore’s first designated conservation area.

The Luv Wild Faber Trek, May 6 3pm to 6pm by LUV@ADVENTURE will uncover the wild side of the Telok Blangah hills. Trekkers will visit the World War II bunkers at Seah Im and explore the lost reservoirs of Keppel. An ascent up to Mt Faber is part of the session.

Details:
Registration is required as there is a maximum number of people per walk, and each person may only make a single reservation for a walk. Explore available walks

Those who would like to lead a walk can contact Jane's Walk organisers via Facebook.

Read the WorkSmart Asia account of my Trend Safari experience with the walk as part of the Jane's Walk movement.

Jane's Walks have something for everyone

Source: Jane's Walk Singapore page.

Jane's Walk, a global movement of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by Jane Jacobs, will be back from May 6 to 8. Jacobs (1916-2006) was an urbanist and activist whose writings championed a new community-based approach to city building. Based on the premise that everyone knows something about where they live, the walks are organised around the world to celebrate Jacobs' ideas. The walks encourage people to tell stories about their communities, explore the areas they live in, and connect with neighbours.

In Singapore, awareness of Jane's Walks has grown significantly, says Mai Tatoy, City Organiser for Jane's Walk in Singapore. According to Tatoy, a number of organisers from previous years have reprised their walks. "There is an increase in awareness with the Jane's Walk Peatix group and Peatix featuring the walks on their main page. Most people find us online - which is great!" she said.

Some walks - which generally accommodate between 12 and 25 participants per walk - are already sold out, a month ahead of the event. Ticket sales for the De Wild Faber Trek with the Singapore Adventurer’s Club, checking out World War II bunkers and exploring the lost reservoirs of Keppel is already closed. Another popular walk, BES Drongos Guided Nature Walk at the Petai Trail, MacRitchie Reservoir, is also sold out. Available walks include:

May 6: The Fullerton Heritage Walk

11am to 1pm

Starting from Fullerton Bay Hotel concierge at Clifford Pier, Florence Minjoot, the resident Fullerton Heritage tour guide, will lead a stroll along the Fullerton Heritage precinct at Marina Bay, explaining the history of the Fullerton Hotel, Customs House, Waterboat House and Clifford Pier. This is Minjoot's second time doing a Jane's Walk.

May 6: An Evening Stroll into the Past

6.30pm to 8.30pm

A dusk-to-dark guided walk through Bukit Brown Cemetery. Listen to stories of the pioneers that helped build Singapore, while looking out for night birds such as night jars and owls.

Torch lights required.

The walk team consists of Bianca Polak, Walk Organizer and one of the volunteer guides conducting free heritage tours in Bukit Brown cemetery, Andrew Lin, a volunteer guide at Bukit Brown Cemetery and is an avid historian, and Tatoy.

May 7: Jalan Besar Trail: Embracing the Possibility for Unexpected Change
9.30am to 11.30am

This walk, by The Thought Collective (TTC), is a learning journey that explores how we can build trust between communities to share our common space.

TTC is a group of social enterprises that offers new possibilities into the way we think, live and serve in communities. It designs experiences such as trails to inspire change within our communities, and to empower individuals to contribute to building a better Singapore.

May 7: Cross Island Route from Venus Drive to Bukit Brown
3.30pm to 6.30pm

Walk from Venus Drive at MacRitchie via the proposed cross-island line route to Sime Road, where Bukit Brown cemetery is, with Walk Leader Beng Tang and Co-walk Leader Tatoy. Tang will continue through Bukit Brown for those interested.

Come prepared for rain and bring sufficient drinking water and insect repellent. It is is about 6km from Venus Drive to Bukit Brown (3 hours), then another 3km or so inside Bukit Brown (1 to 1.5 hours).

Tang guides walks focusing on both nature and heritage and his edible fruits and vegetables tour through Bukit Brown are popular.

May 7: Tiong Bahru Charm
5pm to 7pm

Tiong Bahru, known for Art Deco apartments that predate the current government, mom and pop shops where the shopkeepers have time to chat and give freebies and a laid-back vibe, is undergoing gentrification. Join this walk to discuss the challenges facing the district and how various scenarios could play out.

Isabel Servando, Walk Leader, is a Pinoy writer, volunteer Tiong Bahru guide and teacher.

May 8: Love MacRitchie Walk at Venus Loop
8.30am to 11.30am

The MacRitchie Forest Trail at Venus Drive has become more well-known in recent months as the proposed Cross Island MRT Line is likely to affect the MacRitchie Forest. The trail runs along the banks of a forest stream that is full of freshwater life, from dragonflies and crabs to water snakes and fish.

The dirt path is relatively level and suitable for children, the elderly and the physically-challenged. Be prepared for some mud.

Walk Leader Chloe Tan is part of the NUS Toddycats!, volunteers of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.

May 8: Dragons, Temples and Queens: Toa Payoh Past and Present
2pm to 4pm

Walk around one of Singapore’s oldest satellite towns –celebrating its golden jubilee this year – with long-time resident Jinhua Kuek and historian Eisen Teo. "It's the experience of walking through an urban space constantly in flux that's unique," says Teo.

Follow them to landmarks such as the famous Dragon Playground, part of a former SEAP Games Village, and the block once graced by no less than Queen Elizabeth II herself. Learn about the evolution of Toa Payoh through the decades and see how the constant changes are reminiscent of the evolution and growth of an entire country.

Be sure to bring along your smartphones and cameras as you’ll see Toa Payoh like you’ve never seen it before.

Walk Leader Kuek is a freelance writer, editor and translator, and a long-time resident of Toa Payoh. His interests are in public transport issues, languages, music, culture and the performing arts. He manages Singapore's rotation curation initiative on Twitter, @hellofrmsg, where a new voice from Singapore comes on board every week to share their knowledge, experiences and views.

Co-walk Leader Teo is a full-time history researcher and docent with a Singapore-based heritage consultancy. He also spends his free time researching Singapore history, transport and urban issues, and is currently working on a book on Singapore history. In 2012, he co-founded SG Tipsy Trivia, Singapore's only Singapore-themed pub quiz outfit.

May 8: A Writer's Memory Lane
6pm

This Walk will begin at the Admin Bldg of SMU-Singapore Management University - and culminate at Raffles City. Though physically short, the distance covered in terms of reach and history will be enormous. Guide Kirpal studied where Raffles City stands today.

Walk leader Professor Kirpal Singh is a poet, literary and cultural critic, and university lecturer in English language and literature. Currently an Associate Professor with the Singapore Management University (SMU), he has written and published three collections of poetry. 

Interested?

Lead a walk, or register for one in Singapore via global event registration platform Peatix. More walks will be up by 20 April. All walks state where to meet, and guides will be holding a sign saying 'Jane's Walk'.

Look for a walk in another city

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog post about Jane's Walks last year

Hashtags: #community, #design, #heritage, #janeswalktoapayoh, #nature, #storytelling, #suburbs 

Vital Voices Global Mentoring Walk to be held in Kuala Lumpur on 27 March

Women Entrepreneur Network Association (WENA), an NGO in Malaysia, will be organising the Malaysian leg of the Global Mentoring Walk for the fourth time.

On 27th March 2016, hundreds of women are expected to join together at Taman Rimba Kiara, TTDI for the tenth annual Vital Voices Global Mentoring Walk. This walk is a part of a global movement to inspire a rising generation through mentorship. Held in celebration of International Women’s Day in communities around the world, the Vital Voices Global Mentoring Walk convenes established women leaders and emerging women leaders to walk together in their community.

Participants discuss professional challenges and successes to establish a mentoring relationship. The event in Kuala Lumpur is one of 86 mentoring walks taking place around the world, creating a global movement to highlight the importance of women’s leadership and to accelerate the impact of women leaders through mentoring.

Interested?

The walk will be held on 27 March 2016 from 7.30am – 12.00pm at Taman Rimba Kiara, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Register

Free walks around Singapore with Jane's Walk from May 1 to 3

Source: Jane's Walk website.

Get a group of colleagues together to explore Singapore the first weekend of May with Jane's Walk, a global movement of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by Jane Jacobs. The walks are designed to get people to tell stories about their communities, explore their cities, and connect with neighbours. 

"Jane Jacobs who was a champion of walkability, thriving neighborhoods and involving the local communities in the changing landscape of city life would be proud! She taught that understanding a city requires observation, questioning and discovery and we're excited to do just that weekend of May 1-3." said Mai Tatoy, City Organiser for Jane's Walk in Singapore.

"From four walks to 21 walks in three years, Singaporeans are celebrating their walkable city in a big way."

This year's walks will be held from May 1 to 3 and range from walks that beginners can do all the way to 'high level'. There is even a jog, three for dog lovers and one labelled a ' twilight ramble'. The routes and duration are clearly marked online, with handy tips such as parking availability and how to identify participants. 

Burmese Roads Along Balestier (May 3, 4pm) is a family-friendly 1.5-hour walk that welcomes bicycles, for example. Walk Leader Yan Oak, a "Burmese guy who has been here since the 90s", and Corrie Tan, an arts writer in Singapore, will share what Moulmein - the third largest city in Myanmar, Akyab - a port in Western Myanmar - and Rangoon, a jewel in the crown of the British Empire, have to do with a Burmese traditional medicine man who came to settle in Singapore more than a hundred years ago.

A Jog Through Green Urban Spaces - Tanjong Rhu to Gardens by the Bay (May 1, 5pm) also allows bicycles. This slow jog of 4 to 5km is expected to introduce participants to park connectors, which the organisers say are unique to Singapore.

For a cooler experience, An Evening Stroll into the Past starts at 6.30pm on May 2. This dusk-to-dark stroll from Bukit Brown Cemetery to Thomson Road will include titbits about pioneers of Singapore. Dogs are welcome.

The other evening walk is labelled De Opium Hill Twilight Ramble (May 1, 4.30pm). This will involve a steep hill (Bukit Chandu) as well as torches or headlamps for a climb in the dark. The walk will include a taste of the Canopy Walkway and a visit to the Reflections of Bukit Chandu.

If your group requires something simpler, consider Tiong Bahru Charm on May 2 at 5pm, which notes that baby strollers are welcome. Walk Leader Isabel Servando, a "writer, believer, empath, learned extrovert (though no one will take my word for it), bargain hunter, volunteer teacher and constant diet cheater", will show a side of old Singapore that still exists, even though gentrification is occurring.

Other walks that share a slice of history will cover Queenstown, the area around Fullerton Hotel, Little India, Bishan, the Bras Basah neighbourhood, Geylang, Geylang Serai and Joo Chiat, and Clemenceau Avenue. Find out more about each Singapore walk here and register here.

Read our blog post about last year's Jane's Walk in Singapore here.

Digi sponsors customers for Earth Hour 2015 Night Walk

Source: Digi Telecommunications.

Digi Telecommunications is sponsoring 200 customers to participate in the WWF-Malaysia Earth Hour 2015 Night Walk in Penang and Sunway Pyramid, which will be held in conjunction with the upcoming Earth Hour 2015 celebration on 28 March 2015.

As the corporate sponsor for the Night Walk@Sunway, Digi has contributed RM35,000 to fund WWF-Malaysia for their environmental conservation projects.

There will be 200 walk packs at RM60 each sponsored for Digi customers - 100 for Night Walk@Sunway and another 100 for Night Walk@Penang. Interested customers can start registering online at www.digi.com.my/earthhour. Registration is on a first come first served basis and successful registrants will be notified via email.

“For the past seven years, Digi has been actively supporting Earth Hour’s call to action for everyone to take personal accountability for their impact on the planet. They can start by making behavioural changes to facilitate a more sustainable lifestyle,” said Philip Ling, Digi’s Corporate Responsibility Manager.

Earth Hour is a global environmental initiative held in partnership with WWF. Individuals, businesses, governments and communities are invited to turn off their lights for one hour to show their support for environmentally sustainable action. The Earth Hour 2015 Night Walk in Penang and Sunway Pyramid is organised in partnership with the respective state government and mall authority, and it is to be held concurrent to the Earth Hour celebration.