Jane Jacobs loved sidewalks. In her city planning treatise, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, she wrote that they are "at least as basic as circulation to the proper workings of cities." The late social critic, who created and mastered the art of urban feng shui, advocated for walkable cities that fostered a sense of place. On Saturday, May 1, citizens all over the world will honor her vision with neighborhood tours.

One of the cities participating in "Jane's Walk" is Oakland, Calif. City leaders, historians, writers and activists will lead six free walking tours through city neighborhoods. Paul Rosenbloom is one of them. And, as the co-founder of the volunteer-based Oakland Urban Paths, this event was right up his alley.

Rosenbloom first learned of the city's public walkways when he moved to Oakland. "For me, it started with this Walk Oakland! map. I wanted to take a walk outside my house and check out nature without having to get in my car and drive."

What began as a routine to get the blood flowing became a new adventure. Each sylvan path has its own urban lore. An urban planning consultant with a tall frame and red freckles, Rosenbloom came to love the city's sweeping views and architectural diversity. He also noticed that the pathways—most of which were built a century ago as routes to streetcar lines—had deteriorated. So, when he met like-minded path enthusiast and long-time Oakland resident Kate Miller, they began a preservation campaign.

They started in 2009 by conducting a stairway survey in conjunction with the city. Last summer, several volunteers wandered along the edges of the street grid, documenting the conditions of more than 200 walkways. While the data crunches, Urban Paths is working with the city on plans for a refurbishment project. With the additional help of a grant from Oaklandish, the group hopes to add signs and plaques where history was made. Urban Paths' parent organization, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, will help Oaklanders re-stake their claim to public space.

"Think of us as the WO in WOBO," Rosenbloom said.

Chris Hwang, WOBO board member and vice chair of Oakland's Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, initiated Oakland's participation in Jane's Walk. She has organized city leaders, including history columnist Annalee Allen and a group called 10,000 Steps, which seeks to connect neighbors and four Downtown Oakland parks.

Each leg of Oakland's "Jane's Walk" is packed with stunning views. Cyclists, commuters and occasionally wild turkeys are common sightings on the city's capillary byways. For his tour, Rosenbloom will wind through redwoods of Glen Echo Creek, over vistas of Lake Merritt and down alley stairwells to the Grand Tavern. The last leg is a public path called Davidson Way, with signage in Emerald City green.

As for empowering Oaklanders to adopt their neighborhood's stairways, Rosenbloom said, "OUP strives to be the fulcrum between the residents and the city." Their success will hinge on whether more citizens walk in their communities, and if both pedestrian and city are committed to healthy circulation.