Last spring, our team attended the national Navigation conference of the Canadian Institute of Planners. There, PEACH researchers and students talked with planners, engineers, development officers, and other built environment professionals from across Canada about their knowledge of accessibility standards and collected valuable feedback for a recently completed research project. About the project The project, called […]
Author: peachadmin
Accessible Housing in Nova Scotia
A three-part series looking at looking at accessible housing in Canada and Nova Scotia (3/3) For Nova Scotians with disabilities, gaining access to housing that is accessible and allows for an appropriate level of independence has long been met with challenges. While many Canadian provinces were in the process of deinstitutionalization (e.g., moving those with […]
Accessibility & Canada’s National Housing Strategy
A three-part series looking at accessible housing in Canada and Nova Scotia (2/3) Made official in 2017, Canada’s National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, $72 billion dollar plan comprised of various programs and funding streams that intend to “create a new generation of housing in Canada” that is “sustainable, accessible, mixed-income, and mixed-use”. A […]
What is ‘accessible housing’ and why does Canada need more of it?
A three-part series looking at accessible housing in Canada and Nova Scotia (1/3) Today, Canadians are hard-pressed to enter a conversation about housing that doesn’t revolve around sky-rocketing home prices, the challenge of finding a reasonably-priced rental unit, or the latest homeless encampment that has materialized locally. Of course, solutions to these challenges are offered […]
Life Design Hacks from Tokyo
Many people think of Tokyo as this uber high-tech, Blade Runner-like futuristic city. But once you peel away the surface of that image, Tokyo is really just a conglomerate of living and breathing neighbourhoods occupied by everyday people, living everyday lives—all 14 million of them co-existing in a tightly packed space. Such life in Tokyo […]
Accessibility and Tokyo’s Transportation System
Japan enacted its first Barrier-Free Act in 2006, which was updated twice in recent years (2018 and 2020). All tiers of government (federal, prefectural and municipal) in Japan have been pretty serious about making trains and train stations accessible. But the efforts made in Tokyo in the last decade are beyond compare. DPI Japan, one […]
Public Washrooms in Tokyo
It has been an eye-opening experience when it comes to finding accessible public washrooms in Japan. Tokyo, in particular, has been making giant strides in making many public washrooms accessible over the past couple of decades. The Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 also boosted the accessibility of the city. It seems that train stations, shopping […]
Mikiko goes to Japan in search of accessible public spaces
Japan is a faraway country, and it is somewhat mysterious for many Canadians. Oftentimes Canadian (or western) planners seem to dismiss Japan as too different from their own experience, and therefore, think that many planning endeavors are not easily comparable or relevant. Consequently, we may miss opportunities to explore what is happening in Japan as […]
New Video by Accessibility Leaders in Halifax
This recent video by long-time advocate, Vicky Levack, and AMI (Accessible Media Inc.), was released on YouTube on August 26, 2022. It highlights the ongoing need for, and value of, small option housing and other meaningful accessible housing models in Nova Scotia. This is not a PEACH product. Instead, we are eager to share this […]
A Campaign to Improve Restaurant Accessibility
During the pandemic, many of us had our first taste of being denied a night out with friends or a quick bite at a local restaurant. But for many Canadians who experience physical, sensory, cognitive, and other impairments, not being able to enter a popular bar, coffee shop, or restaurant has long been a part […]