(Re)Imagining Accessibility on the Waterfront

Phase 1a of the study attempts to evaluate participants' experience with Toronto’s waterfront and accessibility. We will be asking up to 100 participants to document their experiences using either a digital or intercept survey. Phase 1a of the analysis considers the state of repair and presence of accessibility infrastructure in various green and blue spaces on Toronto’s waterfront–stretching from Scarborough to Mimico. The digital or paper survey method will allow us to capture a diversity of participant experiences in accessing the waterfront, gathering qualitative data to support the findings. Students this year are conducting a built environment (BE) audit - comparing all BE features to the new Waterfront Accessibility Guidelines. 

In Phase 1b of the study, Wellbeing on the Waterfront, we will be examining the relationship between blue space visits and mental wellbeing, what aspects of the waterfront contribute to mental health outcomes, and if there is variability in these outcomes in warm versus cold seasons. This phase of the study will allow us to capture experiences at Toronto’s waterfront and other blue spaces in the GTHA using a digital survey format with up to 30 participants.

Principal Investigator: Samantha Biglieri

Co-Investigator & Participant-Facing Researcher: Madalynne Lawrence

Funded By: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Partnership Grant titled Quality of the Built Environment in Canada: Roadmaps to Equity, Social Value and Sustainability