Jane Jacobs Walks

Part urban planning lesson, part local history tour, Jane Jacobs Walks are part of a national series of events happening every May, showcasing places that embody the principles described in Jacobs' pioneering work, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Written when most cities, including Sacramento, were destroying their downtowns for highways and parking lots, Jacobs called for active sidewalks, mixed use, and adaptive reuse of old buildings for new, creative uses. Our collaborative tours combine our organization's long-term interest in local history, urban planning, and bike riding. May is Preservation Month, Bike Month, Asian-American/Pacific Islander History Month, and Affordable Housing Month; this year’s tours will include all of these, and more.

Several of these tours will be organized and held by Preservation Sacramento, while others are run by other local organizations that we have selected for their applicability to the principles of Jane Jacobs Walks, and, in the case of the bike rides, Jane Jacobs Rolls, including ReWild Sacramento, American River Trees, and Strong Sactown.

All (except the Old City Cemetery Tours) are free and open to the public, but some will require advance registration; use the links below to register.

Jane Jacobs Walk & Roll Events 2026 Schedule

May 2: Old City Cemetery Tour, Japanese History (Old City Cemetery Committee)
May 3, 11 AM: Alkali Flat & Mansion Flat (Alkali & Mansion Flat Historic Neighborhood Association)
May 9, 10 AM: Preservation Roundtable and Del Paso Boulevard/North Sacramento Walk (Preservation Sacramento)
May 16: Old City Cemetery, Victorian Fun Faire
Date TBA between May 14-22: Japantown to Chinatown Tour
May 18: Capitol Fountain Restoration Celebration and Alfred Eichler Tour (Sacramento Art Deco Society)
May 23: Sacramento Waterfront History Walk (time & starting point TBA)
May 24: Newton Booth/Poverty Ridge “Missing Middle Housing” Walk (Preservation Sacramento/Strong Sactown) (time & starting point TBA)
May 30: Chinatown Tour (1882 Foundation)
May 30: Old City Cemetery Tour, “Bosses of the Boneyard” (Old City Cemetery Committee)

For more information about Jane Jacobs Walk events, contact Preservation Sacramento at preservation.sacramento@gmail.com or call (916) 604-8320. Visit www.preservationsacramento.org or www.janejacobswalk.org for more information about Preservation Sacramento and other Jane Jacobs Walk events.

Preservation Sacramento

Preservation Sacramento is dedicated to protecting Sacramento's historic places and encouraging quality urban design through advocacy, outreach, and activism.

Preservation Sacramento is a membership-based 501(c)(4) non-profit originally founded in 1972 as the Sacramento Old City Association.

Preservation Sacramento is an all volunteer organization, whose members devote their time to increasing public awareness of the irreplaceable historic and cultural resources of the city. Other activities include advocating policies that ensure a quality urban environment that is respectful of our historic buildings and traditional neighborhoods.

Preservation Sacramento monitors and comments on land use proposals in Sacramento's existing neighborhoods. By participating in community planning, Preservation Sacramento has made significant contributions to citywide development proposals. If you have a planning or land use project proposed in you neighborhood, that you would like Preservation Sacramento to review, please do not hesitate to contact us.