A woman wearing a hat, glasses, and a face mask poses in front of a row of green public washroom doors.
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 a source of inspiration for solutions to planning problems, or co-develop strategies that work for both contexts.
This perspective is understandable. Most cities in Japan are ultra-compact, with people living on top of each other in tiny spaces in a way that is unfathomable for many Canadians who are used to having a lot of space inside and outside of their homes. Some design solutions that are seen in Japanese cities may not be preferred by Canadians—e.g., building tiny-footprint high-rise apartments right next to busy train lines to enhance densification and infrastructure efficiency may never get through municipal council meetings. The natural resources used to support the lifestyle of ultimate convenience and comfort in Japan—heated toilet seats, rental office cubicles in train stations, or AI operated cash registers that scan your purchases all at once—seem unnecessary or even wasteful to Canadians.
A starker difference is the population size and density. The sheer number of people versus the size of the land in Japan makes development cost-efficient in a way that is not possible in sparsely populated Canadian cities. The return of investment is a near guarantee with high margins—whatever expensive infrastructure they build, people will use it and gladly pay the fees if required. Canadian cities—with some exception of large cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal—the tax dollars can stretch only so far to make expensive investments for something new and innovative. The number of users may not be sufficient to glean substantial profit. Yes, Canada and Japan are different in many ways.
As a Japanese-born scholar who has lived in North America for the last 30 years, I notice that the field of planning has missed out a lot by not sufficiently learning from one culture to another that are seemingly very different. The social relationships in which modern day (or post-post-modern day) planning issues take place in different parts of the worlds are, indeed, quite different. But people are people are people, really. The day-to-day challenges in navigating social and (often) political relations, tackling the pandemic of isolation and mental health problems, and creating solutions for aging populations for our sustainable future are, at a fundamental level, very much the same. There is a thing or two that Canadian planners can ponder through a quick peak of a place like Japan.
I will be writing blog posts to showcase some things I found on my trip.
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 valuable production by local accessibility leaders with audiences in planning and other fields whose work influences our shared built environment. Vicky’s Fight For Freedom is a must-see to inform how we build inclusive, livable communities.
Video entitled “Vicky’s Fight for Freedom” embedded from the AMI YouTube channel.
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 of their dining experience. Something as simple as the door into a food establishment can be a significant barrier, denying people from not only enjoying these services but also from equitably participating in our communities.
Orso restaurant’s front entrance in Downtown Halifax. Four colourful Cheers! To Access badges are stuck to the glass of the restaurant’s front door.
Since the enactment of the Accessibility Act in 2017, Nova Scotia has been tackling accessibility in public spaces head-on—slowly but surely. Both government and grass-root efforts to prevent and remove barriers in public spaces are emerging. Municipalities are developing their accessibility plans, disability advocacy organizations and community groups are raising public awareness, and accessibility standards are in the process of being developed. But the accessibility of privately owned spaces like food and drink establishments is lagging behind—a missing piece to realising equitable access to social life. Until these places become more accessible, the vision of a fully accessible Nova Scotia by 2030 will not be a reality.
In the summer of 2021, when restaurants in Nova Scotia began to reopen, we introduced Cheers! To Access to engage with the restaurants of Halifax Regional Municipality on accessibility considerations. The initiative began when PEACH partnered with the creators of The Coast’s Patio Map to document and share key accessibility information about the outdoor patios of HRM restaurants online, as reported by restaurant operators. Since then, the team has begun visiting restaurants and conversing with owners and managers on accessibility indoors.
A screenshot of The Coast’s online patio map.
Cheers! To Access is a badge system that is displayed online and on storefronts via colourful window clings. PEACH members visit participating restaurants to check their eligibility for each badge. The idea is to celebrate accessibility successes in restaurants while talking about what more they could do.
Cheers! To Access badges for 2021 included a pilot set of accessibility criteria (Image of badges included) covering six basic considerations. For example, challenges experienced by persons with disabilities can begin at getting through the door of a restaurant, where a stepped entrance or narrow doorway may not accommodate persons using a wheelchair or another mobility device. Therefore, an orange badge is given to a restaurant with an entrance that is step-free, unobstructed, and at least 85 cm wide. Once inside, finding a wheelchair-accessible washroom (blue badge), a table of appropriate height for comfortable use with knee clearance (dark green badge), or enough clear space to move about the restaurant freely (light green badge), are important for persons using mobility devices, with service animals, or assisted by caregivers.
A wheelchair user enters an outdoor single-stall accessible washroom at Stillwell Beergarden.
Participating restaurant owners have demonstrated a genuine eagerness to learn and improve their businesses to be more inclusive spaces. Even without making changes to its floorplan, there are many things that restaurants can do. Here are some examples:
Installing light fixtures with brightness levels that can be adjusted higher or lower for each table (or for different sections of your restaurant). This can help customers see their food or companions better, read the menu, or communicate nonverbally. Excess noise can be reduced by introducing soft surfaces and other sound-dampening materials, making the restaurant atmosphere less overwhelming for diners with a variety of sensory and cognitive conditions.
Offering menus in multiple formats, such as large print, digital, or braille, will be helpful for persons with low or no vision. However, JPEG or PNG files are generally not compatible with read-aloud software. Digital menus are better if uploaded as PDF files. And including pictures of menu items and using icons to communicate information about dishes is helpful for everyone.
Savvy restaurants are now using pay machines with automated voices to relay audible instructions. Sometimes customers have to use pay machines with physical buttons, and buttons with tactile numbering or lettering or both are very helpful. Silicone overlays may be available as add-ons to adapt touchscreen products and could make all the difference for a customer with limited dexterity or visual impairment.
The interior of Easy Street Diner where tables are spaced far apart and there is lots of room to maneouvre the aisles.
Cheers! To Access is merely a first step to cataloguing the accessibility efforts in the food and drink establishments of HRM and having open conversation about how to make restaurants more inclusive venues for everyone.
A recent video collaboration between PEACH and Planifax on this initiative interviewed three accessibility experts and advocates in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, about basic elements and considerations to enhance accessibility of food establishments for all. You can watch the video below:
If you’re a restaurant owner and would like to receive Cheers! To Access badges, join us with Cheers! To Access 2022. Email PEACH at [email protected]. You are also invited to email PEACH if you are a diner who experiences disability and would like to see a particular barrier addressed through the Cheers! To Access system. Keep an eye out for these badges in the windows of your favourite local food joints and spread the word using #cheerstoaccess.
Acknowledgement: PEACH Research Unit would like to thank Michelle Mahoney, RHFAC Professional, for her valuable input into the criteria for the first set of Cheers! To Access badges.
A young woman leans over to write on a poster board asking for community feedback on public play spaces.
The Dalhousie PEACH Research Unit was part of Dartmouth’s Open Street Sunday, an event that opens the street up for pedestrians, cyclists, food trucks and much more! PEACH Research Unit created an accessible, inclusive and vibrant space, for kids and adults with varied abilities to enjoy. The PEACH on the Street: Access Alderney installation was located on the Alderney Plaza and contributed to PEACH’s ongoing research project; A Tactical Urbanism Approach to Assessing the Value of Public Spaces. Onsite surveys were conducted at the event to gauge public interest around accessibility and assess public opinion on the installations and accessible furnishings. Survey responses are still being collected from anyone who wants to participate, here: PEACH on the Street survey.
The event occurred on September 19th at 12pm. Despite heavy winds at times, the sun was shining and PEACH on the Street was soon crowded with hundreds of cheerful and excited community members. PEACH on the Street welcomed people of all ages, many of whom came with strollers, bikes and dogs. Dog treats and water bowls were included in the space as well as granola bars and other sweet treats which were a big hit among the kids.
A crowded plaza is filled with pedestrians walking dogs, talking to one another, holding beverages, pushing strollers and participating in event activities such as pavement painting.
Visitors had the opportunity to learn about the importance of vibrant, inclusive spaces as well as explore the accessible installations set up by PEACH staff and volunteers. PEACH on the Street included a quiet space, giving people the opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of the event. The quiet space combined plants, comfy seating and lights to help people feel relaxed. Plants were a wonderful addition to the quiet space as they helped to create shade and a more enclosed feel. Many visitors also seemed to love the lounge chairs that were included in the space! PEACH on the Street also included a play space filled with toys for children. Children stayed in the play space for hours on end playing with foam blocks that were loaned from the Alderney Public Library. Accessible seating options such as a wheelchair-friendly picnic table was also found in the space, thus accommodating wheelchair users. Furthermore, clear and legible directional signages were placed along Alderney to help guide event goers in the right direction. Outdoor washrooms (porta potties) were decorated with greenery and plants to enhance the site. Many passersby mentioned how lovely the outdoor washrooms looked with the added greenery.
A temporary blue tent canopy is set up with inflatable seating and soft tile flooring underneath, surrounded by potted plants.Two portable washrooms are enclosed by a wooden structure with vines wrapped all around it and potted plants placed at the entrance.
PEACH staff and volunteers worked diligently throughout the day setting up for the event and engaging with attendees. Communicating the importance of accessible, inclusive spaces with the community was a very rewarding experience! Many visitors were also curious about other PEACH projects and were excited about the strides PEACH is taking to create inclusive environments. Overall, the event was successful in engaging with fellow Haligonians, and by collecting survey data, we can demonstrate what more is needed in public spaces to improve accessibility. Working collaboratively as a team and having an excited, uplifting attitude produced a successful event and showed just how much can get done by working together!
A young man wearing an orange PEACH Research T-shirt smiles and poses with his arms wide to show off colourful crate seats built for the event. Photo credit: Nick Pearce.
Milena Khazanavicius stands on a sidewalk giving the finger to a diamond shaped construction sign strapped to a telephone pole at head level. Her guide dog sits at her side.
Our friend Milena Khazanavicius runs into things like this on the street. Every. Single. Day. These obstacles are impossible to avoid for persons who use canes or guide dogs because they do not detect obstacles way above the ground.
About 7% of Nova Scotians have some type of visual impairment, which adds up to be about 65,000 people. If that does not sound like a significant number, it may help to think that this number is roughly the same as the population of all elementary school children in Nova Scotia. If this many elementary school children were at risk of injuring themselves on the streets, policy makers would already be moving to eradicate these hazards at construction sites, wouldn’t they?
Whether you have vision challenges or not, people often get distracted while they are walking. For example, their eyes may be glued to their mobile phones while walking (true, they should not be doing that), or they may be talking with a friend and not paying attention, or they may have some big bags to carry. Spots like this are accidents waiting to happen for all pedestrians.
Design standards, regulations, policies are all important. But they are not enough. More importantly, something like this can be mitigated without regulations telling us, if we are all aware. It is a quick fix.
Construction companies and their staff with good awareness are already working hard to prevent these kinds of barriers. Let us all be aware and ask construction folks, planning folks, and politicians to be aware. Someday, any of us could be scraping our faces with the corner of a construction sign and flipping the finger at it—or worse, suffering serious injuries (and flipping the finger at the world).
In 2020, PEACH Research Unit’s Katie Vaughan partnered with Community Links Nova Scotia to engage with older adults living in Nova Scotia about the accessibility of public spaces in their communities. We are now excited to announce that this project will be extended into Phase Two as soon as May 2021!
This project is performed using a research method called photovoice, where participants take photos, and elaborate on their photos using their own words, to answer a research question. For this project, older adults are asked to take photos of public spaces that are either helpful or harmful to their ability to perform daily activities in the public spaces of their communities. In other words, this project asked to learn from older adults about the places they feel are accessible or inaccessible for their needs.
The photos and narratives provided by participating older adults during the pilot study have been very valuable for understanding aging-in-place design.
Katie has produced two videos to share the initial findings:
The Testimonial Video (appearing above) showcases some of the photos and comments that were collected from participants in first-person voice.
The Result Video presents key findings of the study, describing the priority design features for improvement from the perspective of older adults from the pilot study.
We are really proud of what has been accomplished so far, and are excited to begin the extension of the project. It is our goal to learn more about accessible and inaccessible public space design in not only urban but also rural communities. If you are 65 years of age or older, live in Nova Scotia, and are interested in contributing to this project, please email Katie at [email protected].
A blindfolded woman uses a white cane to locate a mounted pushbutton at the corner of a busy intersection. A blindfolded man walks across the street at a busy intersection with a sighted companion nearby.
Pedestrian safety is a key component of inclusive, sustainable communities. The mobility of persons between destinations and within their communities is largely impacted by the quality and composition of sidewalks, street crossings, lighting, and other street infrastructure. For persons with physical, sensory, or cognitive impairments, remaining safe as a pedestrian can be particularly challenging if appropriate safety measures are not in place.
Pedestrian crossings are high-traffic and, therefore, high-risk areas for pedestrians. In the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), the majority of collisions involving pedestrians occur at intersections with traffic signals 1. Currently, Transportation Association of Canada’s (TAC) guidelines recommend the use of audible, visual, and vibrotactile pedestrian signals at controlled intersections to alert pedestrians when crossing is possible 2.
Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) has audible crossing signals installed at 84 intersections, which accounts for only 0.58% of all intersections in HRM. Some of these audible signals automatically sound to indicate when crossing is permitted (16 of 84, such as at the corner of Spring Garden Rd. and Queen St.) but the majority are button-activated by users (68 of 84). The button-activated signals utilize ‘beacon actuation’ which requires the user to press and hold the pushbutton for at least 3 seconds to activate the audible signal 3.
In the summer of 2020, a group of local accessibility advocates performed an audit of HRM’s audible crossings to assess which button-activated signals are operating as programmed and which are not. This audit found at least half of the audible signals were operational at most intersections. However, only four intersections had working audible signals for all directions of travel.
The map below illustrates the findings from this audit. The square brackets next to each intersection name indicates the number of working audible signals against the total number of legal pedestrian crossings at an intersection.
The scarcity of audible signals at crossings in HRM is concerning as they provide a key navigational cue to numerous individuals living with sensory or cognitive impairment. Without these signals, many persons will either be putting themselves at risk when crossing traffic, or they will stay home, becoming more isolated from feeling unable to travel independently. HRM has demonstrated plans to increase the number of crossings with audible signals through its Active Transportation Priorities Plan, which includes the intention to install accessible signals at 4-5 intersections per year 4.
To help illustrate the importance of these devices, members of the PEACH Research team participated in a sight-loss simulation activity led by Milena Khazanavicius, an advocate for blind and partially sighted residents of HRM. We each took turns crossing a signaled intersection blindfolded, using only a white cane and the audible crossing signal to navigate. While the experience of someone who lives with sight-loss will certainly differ from what we could experience in one afternoon, we all felt the aid of an audible signal to confirm when it was our turn to cross as pedestrians, and to assist as a directional cue to follow to the opposite corner, was hugely beneficial to an otherwise daunting experience for us.
Ensuring that more signals are installed, and that the signals are operational for users, is crucial for enabling equitable travel for numerous individuals. This audit brings to attention that we must take maintenance of these features seriously as they have a significant impact on the daily lives of community members. We must also continue to consult with persons who experience sight loss, and those with other disabilities who have daily expertise on the existing barriers to safe pedestrian travel.
We would like to sincerely thank Milena Khazanavicius and all persons who performed the audit of audible signals in downtown Halifax for sharing these findings with us.
2.IBI Group. (2007). The New TAC Accessible Pedestrian Signals Guidelines. Annual Conference of the Transportation Association of Canada. http://conf.tac-atc.ca/english/resourcecentre/readingroom/conference/conf2007/docs/s10/loane.pdf
3.Halifax Regional Municipality. (2020). Traffic Information for Hearing Visual Impaired. https://www.halifax.ca/transportation/streets-sidewalks/traffic-information-individuals-vision-or-hearing-impairments
4. Halifax Regional Municipality. Active Transportation. https://www.halifax.ca/transportation/transportation-projects/active-transporation
When Nova Scotia declared a state of emergency of March 22nd, 2020, all parks, trails, and beaches in the province closed. These were early days, when cases were low in the province, and it was yet unknown how the COVID-19 virus would impact Nova Scotia. As the days went on, Stephen McNeil, Nova Scotia’s premier, feared that Nova Scotians were not taking the pandemic seriously. During a press briefing, the premier sternly advised Nova Scotians to “stay the blazes home”. People who disobeyed and ventured onto trails and into parks were fined. To ensure compliance, parks, trails, and beaches were wrapped in caution tape and surrounded by park closure signs. This signaled that parks were dangerous; a place where someone may contract COVID-19.
A common sight: all parks, beaches, playgrounds, sports fields, and trails were closed in HRM [1].
Parks are an essential public space for gathering, self-reflection, and physical activity; the mere act of being in nature promotes feelings of peace and serenity. In fact, there is a significant body of scientific literature outlining the health and well-being benefits of spending time in nature, particularly during periods of stress and disruption [2–5]. Research on the biophilia hypothesis reveals that humans have an innate tendency to connect with nature and by doing so experience mental and physical health benefits.
Why, then, were parks closed during this period of crisis? Surely it was possible to maintain access to parks in a way that aligns with public health guidelines…?
In order to understand how jurisdictions across Canada addressed the issue of park access, our research examined the actions taken by 17 major urban municipalities. Out of the 17, only six closed municipal parks to the public.
It turned out Halifax was an anomaly in its approach to park access during the COVID-19 crisis. Instead of seeing parks as a vector for COVID-19 transmission, most Canadian municipalities took action to maintain park access in a way that aligns with public health guidelines. On the other hand, all municipal parks, including pathways, public facilities, and playgrounds were closed in Halifax.
The map below shows the actions taken by municipalities to facilitate access to nature during the COVID-19 crisis and where in Canada parks were closed. Specifically, some municipalities simply closed “high-touch” zones, such as playgrounds, washrooms, and picnic tables, whereas other municipalities took a more active approach, deploying park staff, developing educational campaigns, and closing roadways in and adjacent to parks to create more room for park users.
Highlights from across Canada: Eleven out of the 17 municipalities examined maintained access to parks.Regulations to ensure safe access were introduced following the declaration of a provincial or territorial state of emergency or state of public health emergency in late to mid-March 2020. All parks in Canadian municipalities were open by mid-May 2020. This map was created for the article titled: Parks and the Pandemic: future implications for disaster management through a lens of urgent biophilia submitted to Plan Canada for Winter 2020.
Maintaining access to parks is an important component of any public health strategy for maintaining mental and physical health over the long-term and should be included in COVID-19 response policies. In fact, many government leaders touted the mental and physical health benefits of spending time in nature.For example, the manager of the Vancouver Park Board stated:
“We recognize the important role that our outdoor spaces play in people’s overall health and wellness, particularly mental health at this very stressful time”
– Manager, Vancouver Park Board (April 4th, 2020)
Furthermore, British Colombia Provincial Health Officer said:
“I do believe, and I’ve said this repeatedly, how important it is for us to have access to outdoor areas, particularly in urban areas where people being cooped up inside can lead to a lot of other anxiety and challenges and problems, including mental health problems”
– Dr. Bonnie Henry (April 22nd, 2020)
Finally, despite a six-week park closure, Nova Scotia’s premier also commented on the health and well-being benefits of park access. When announcing the opening of provincial and municipal parks on May 1st, 2020, Nova Scotia’s premier stated:
“Get out, get fresh air, do a little physical activity and hang [out] with your family. It’s the best medicine right now”
– Stephen McNeil (May 1st, 2020)
The way in which government officials framed the issue of park access, that is, as a way to support mental and physical health throughout the pandemic, makes a case for maintaining access to parks during crisis.
There is a growing body of research that suggests the risk of contracting COVID-19 in an outdoor environment is low [8]. This fact suggests that it is possible to maintain access to parks throughout the COVID-19 crisis, particularly if extra safety precautions are put in place. For example, many municipalities closed “high-touch” zones within parks. This included playgrounds, picnic areas, and washrooms. Another common strategy was to deploy municipal staff to disseminate information about the importance of physical distancing. Instead of taking an enforcement approach through increased policing and ticketing, which arguably creates more stress and division within a community, education promotes safe behavior within parks. Finally, closing roadways within or adjacent to parks was another common strategy intended to facilitate safe park use. Toronto’s ActiveTO program, for example, identified opportunities to expand public space by closing roadways thereby promoting physical activity and facilitating access to nature, even within a dense urban environment.
A creative sign educating people on the importance of keeping a two-meter distance from one another [9]
The health and well-being benefits of facilitating access to greenspace, particularly through periods of crisis, is supported by the concept of urgent biophilia, which posits that during periods of crisis, the desire to connect with nature is heightened. In fact, there are many examples of people seeking out contact with nature during crisis, including in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, in refugee camps, and following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre [5]. In each of these examples, connecting with nature aided the affected community’s recovery efforts by supporting mental and physical health. COVID-19 will likely be no different. By developing strategies aimed at facilitating access to nature during crisis, the capacity for both individuals and communities to navigate social and economic challenges will be strengthened.
While COVID-19 is a pressing public health emergency, other components of health, such as mental health and physical fitness, must not be ignored. In order to promote health over the long-term, opportunities for individuals to safely connect with one another, exercise, and enjoy the natural world should be prioritized. COVID-19 will likely be with us for the foreseeable future. By ignoring these components of health, we risk unleashing a slew of secondary health challenges, such as depression, addiction, and anxiety. By taking proactive steps to facilitate access to nature during a disaster, populations will ultimately be better prepared to navigate the social and economic challenges of the crisis and will experience more overall positive health outcomes.
The results presented in this article are a part of the research project: Access to parks during the COVID-19 crisis: Building resilience through urgent biophilia.
1. Groff, M. Parks, trails and driving ranges reopen as province eases some restrictions (update) – HalifaxToday.ca Available online: https://www.halifaxtoday.ca/coronavirus-covid-19-local-news/parks-trails-and-driving-ranges-reopen-as-province-eases-some-restrictions-2316867 (accessed on Jul 15, 2020).
2. Berman, M.G.; Kross, E.; Krpan, K.M.; Askren, M.K.; Burson, A.; Deldin, P.J.; Kaplan, S.; Sherdell, L.; Gotlib, I.H.; Jonides, J. Interacting with nature improves cognition and affect for individuals with depression. J. Affect. Disord. 2012, 140, 300–305, doi:10.1016/j.jad.2012.03.012.
3. Tyrväinen, L.; Ojala, A.; Korpela, K.; Lanki, T.; Tsunetsugu, Y.; Kagawa, T. The influence of urban green environments on stress relief measures: A field experiment. J. Environ. Psychol. 2014, 38, 1–9, doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.12.005.
4. Kellert, S.R.; Calabrese, E.F. The Practice of Biophilic Design; 2015;
5. Tidball, K.G.; Krasny, M.E. Greening in the Red Zone Disaster, Resilience and Community Greening; Springer, 2014;
6. Samuelsson, K.; Barthel, S.; Colding, J.; Macassa, G.; Giusti, M. Urban nature as a source of resilience during social distancing amidst the coronavirus pandemic. 2020.
7. Tidball, K.G. Urgent biophilia: Human-nature interactions and biological attractions in disaster resilience. Ecol. Soc. 2012, 17, doi:10.5751/ES-04596-170205.
8. Mackinnon, B.-J. Higgs says municipal parks can stay open if physical distancing enforced | CBC News Available online: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/covid-19-municipal-parks-higgs-new-brunswick-1.5518558 (accessed on Jun 9, 2020).
9. Grochowshi, S. Stick to your local parks this Easter weekend, says Metro Vancouver – Maple Ridge News Available online: https://www.mapleridgenews.com/news/stick-to-your-local-parks-this-easter-weekend-says-metro-vancouver/ (accessed on Jul 24, 2020).
On a weekend in late January, myself and two other PEACH team members attended a workshop to become trainers for Women’s Safety Audits (WSA). These safety audits were created through the UN Women’s Global Initiative, “Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces”, with the goal being to combat violence against women and girls around the world.
WSAs are performed by women to assess how their needs and interests are or are not being met by the built environment. The results of a completed audit can help to guide the design and planning of public spaces, while the process of completing an audit can empower and educate women (and others) about safety and social barriers in public space.
Image of a railing in need of repair along a walkway in a public park. Exposed nails and unstable wooden beams pose a safety risk to pedestrians, particularly small children. This was identified by women participating in a trial Women’s Safety Audit during the training.
On the first day of the workshop, we placed green, yellow, and red stickers on a map to indicate where we feel safe and welcome (green), unwelcome (yellow), and unsafe (red) on the peninsula of HRM. This activity sparked conversations between participants about why places felt safe or unsafe. Sharing our experiences of these places was eye-opening, especially when hearing first-hand how age, race, and other social factors contribute to the varied experiences of women in urban spaces. WSAs recognize that women have unique expertise on public spaces and safety from their daily lives, and these experiences inform the audit process. My biggest takeaway from the weekend was, if a public space doesn’t feel safe for everyone, it isn’t safe for everyone.
Historically, many decisions in urban planning have failed to consider the needs and interests of the diverse users of public space. Thanks to this workshop, I am one of many women who have learned about the value of sharing our daily lived experiences to inform and shape our communities. Going forward, I hope to build off this momentum and educate future colleagues and peers about the value of WSAs and the contributions of women’s daily lived experiences.
