Post on 22-Sep-2020
1PreliminaryReport:Chalkfarm‐BlackCreekWalkabilityWorkshop
Walkability in Toronto’s Apartment Neighbourhoods
PRELIMINARYREPORTONWALKABILITYWORKSHOPFORTHECHALKFARMBLACKCREEKCOMMUNITY
July,2009
PaulHessAssociateProfessor,DepartmentofGeographyandProgrammeinPlanningUniversityofTorontoPh.416‐978‐4955Email:hess@geog.utoronto.caWebsite:http://faculty.geog.utoronto.ca/Hess/hess_home.html
JaneFarrowExecutiveDirector,CentreforCityEcologyandJane’sWalkPh.416‐642‐5779Email:director@janeswalk.netWebsite:http://centreforcityecology.org/
2PreliminaryReport:Chalkfarm‐BlackCreekWalkabilityWorkshop
INTRODUCTION
Thisdocumentreportsona“WalkabilityWorkshop”heldattheChalkfarmCom‐munityCentreintheBlackCreekneighbourhoodofTorontoinMarch,2009.TheworkshopispartofalargerstudycalledWalkabilityinToronto’sApartmentNeighbourhoodsthatwillincorporateinformationgatheredfromapproximately10Torontoneighbourhoods.Thegoalofthestudyistoexplorethewaysresidentsliv‐inginhigh‐riseareasgetaroundtheirneighbourhoodsand,especially,tohighlighttheimportanceofwalkingforresidentsincarryingouttheirdailylives.Itisin‐tendedtoidentifywhatworksforpedestrians,barrierstowalking,andpossibleim‐provementstothelocalwalkingenvironment.
InPartOne,thisreportgivessomebackgroundontheoverallproject.InPartTwo,wedescribehowthewalkabilityworkshopwasconductedandhowtheinformationwillbeused.InPartThree,wesummarizesomeoftheinformationgatheredattheChalkfarmworkshop.Thereportisintendedtogivepreliminaryfeedbacktopar‐ticipantsandothersinterestedinthewalkingenvironmentofthearea.Itislargelyastraightforwardreportingoftheinformationwegatheredanddoesnotofferanaly‐sisorsubstantialinterpretationsofwhatweheard.Thisanalysiswilloccuratalatertime,aswegathermoreinformationandworkwiththedata.Asanalysisproceeds,supplementreportswillbeproducedthatexploreandinterprettherichinformationgatheredinthisandtheotherworkshopsinthestudy.
PARTONE:STUDYBACKGROUND
ThestudyWalkabilityinToronto’sApartmentNeighbourhoodsisbeingconductedbyProfessorPaulHessoftheDepartmentofGeographyattheUniversityofToronto,inassociationwithJaneFarrow,ExecutiveDirectoroftheCentreforCityEcology,Toronto.Ourcontactinformationcanbefoundatthetopofthisdocument.Wewel‐comeanyquestionsaboutthisreportortheoverallstudy.
TheauthorsrecognizetheSocialandHumanitiesResearchCouncilofCanadaforhelpingtofundtheresearch.Wealsoareverygratefultothelocalcommunityor‐ganizationsthathavehelpedusorganizeourworkshops.AtChalkfarm,thiswasDoorstepsNeighbourhoodServicesthatarrangeduseoftheChalkfarmCommunityCentre,organizedvolunteersandprovidedenormousoverallsupport..Andfinally,weareespeciallygratefultothelocalresidentswhoparticipatedintheworkshopandshowedsuchcommitmenttoanddeepknowledgeabouttheirneighbourhood.
TheoverallgoaloftheresearchprojectistohelpbetterunderstandthewayspeoplegetaroundToronto’shigh‐riseapartmentneighbourhoods,especiallybywalking.BuildingonargumentsTorontoactivistJaneJacobsespousedmorethan40yearsago,theimportanceofcreatinggoodplacesforpeopletowalkisincreasinglybeingrecognizedbytransportationexpertsandpublicofficials.Plannersandarchitectshavepushedtheideaof“NewUrbanism,”arguingthatnewneighbourhoodsshould
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bebuiltmoreliketheAnnexorCabbagetownneighbourhoodsofdowntownToronto,withconnectedstreetsandhousesthatdirectlyfrontsidewalks.Publichealthresearchersandofficialsevensuggestthatthewayswearedesigningourcit‐ieshascontributedtotherecentriseinphysicalinactivityandobesitybecausepeo‐plenolongerwalkaspartoftheirregular,dailyactivities.
Thesediscussions,however,areusuallyfocusedondowntownareasornewdevel‐opmentsintheoutersuburbs.ThisstudyisintendedtohighlightthetravelroutinesofthemanypeoplelivinginToronto’sinnersuburbs.Asindividualsinterestedinmakingbetterwalkingenvironments,webelievethatToronto’shigh‐riseneigh‐bourhoodsareimportantplacestofocusattention.
Thehigh‐riseneighbourhoodsintheinnersuburbswereplannedanddevelopedinthe1960’sand1970’s.Atthattime,itwasassumedthatmostofthepeoplelivinginthenewapartmentsdidnothavechildren,wouldmovetohousesassoonastheycould,andwouldbeabletodrivetotheplacestheyneededtogo.Thesingle‐familysubdivi‐sionsintheseareaswere,atleast,designedsothatchildrencouldwalktoschool,buttheapartmentsonthebigarterialstreetswerenotplacesdesignedforwalking.
Today,however,adifferentpopulationislivinginthehigh‐riseneighbourhoods;oftenpeoplewithlimitedincomes,peoplewithchildrenandcomplicatedtravelneeds,andpeoplewhodonotownacaroronlyhaveaccesstoacarpartofthetime.Inotherwords,neighbourhoodsthatweredesignedforcarsnowhousepeoplethatmustrelyonwalkingandtransittocarryouttheirlives.Thisstudyisintendedtobetterunderstandhowtheseresidentsgetaroundtheirneighbourhoods,especiallybywalking.Ourgoalistosharethisinformationwiththepeoplewholiveintheseareassotheycanbetteradvocateforimprovements.
Thisisagoodtimeforresidentstomakeclearwhattheywantandneedtobeim‐provedintheirneighbourhoodsbecauseofpoliciesandprogramsbeingdevelopedbytheCityofToronto.TheCityisworkingwithlocalcommunityorganizationsanddevelopingpoliciesandprogramsfor13PriorityAreasthatincludemanyofthehigh‐riseapartmentareas.Itisdevelopinga“WalkingStrategy”thatincludestheseareas,to“makeTorontoagreatwalkingcity.”Itiscurrentlydevelopinga“TowerRenewal”programthatalsopromisestobringimprovementstoapartmentareas.Finally,theCityhasanambitioustransitplan,“TransitCity”thatcouldbringlight‐railandothertransportationimprovementstosomeoftheseneighbourhoods.Alltheseinitiativesoffersomepotentialforchangingapartmentneighbourhoodsintobetterplacestolive.
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Theauthorsdonotrepresentthecityandwedonotknowwhatwillbecomeofthesevariousinitiatives,butwestronglybelievethatbetterinformationabouthowresidentsusetheirneighbourhoodsiscruciallyimportanttomakingpositivechange.FortheseeffortstobesuccessfulandmakeTorontoabetterplaceforitsresidents,webelievethattheresidentsthemselvesmusthaveastrongvoiceandplayacentralroleindecision‐making.WearedoingthisworktoprovidebothresidentsandtheCitywithinformationtohelpfosterthisob‐jective.
PARTTWO:WHATHAPPENSINTHEWORKSHOPSANDHOWTHEINFORMATIONWILLBEUSED
Theworkshopstakeplacewiththeassistanceoflocalneighbourhoodorcommunityorganizations.Theorganizationsrecruitlocalresidentstoparticipate,providealo‐cationtomeet,andprovideothersupportsuchasvolunteerassistanceforsettingupandcleaningup.Westrivetoincludeawiderangeoftypesofresidentsintermsofageandbackgroundandwemakesurethatchildcareandsometranslationsup‐portisavailableifneeded.Allinformationgatheredintheworkshopistreatedasconfidentialandidentifyinginformationofanyparticipantisnotcollected.
WORKSHOPACTIVITIESTOGATHERINFORMATION
Afteranintroductiontotheproject,threeactivitiestakeplaceintheworkshoptoexplorehowresidentstravel:
(1)Survey
Eachparticipantfillsoutasurveyconsistingofroughly40questions.Thesurveycontainsbackgroundinformationontheparticipantsuchasage,householdincome,whetherornottherearechildreninthehousehold,howlongtheresidenthaslivedinthearea,howmanycarsanddriversareintheirhouseholdifany,etc.Thisinfor‐mationisusefulinunderstandingthetransportationresourcesandneedsofresi‐dentsandinexploringdifferenttravelpatternsbydifferenttypesofpeople.Thesurveyalsoasksmoredirectlyabouttheactivitiespeopletraveltoonaregularbasisandhowtheygettothem.Forexample,peopleareaskedwheretheydotheirfoodshopping,howmanytimesaweektheyshopforfood,andiftheyusuallygoshoppingbywalking,transit,driving,taxi,etc.Finally,thesurveyasksaseriesofquestionsabouthowpeoplefindthewalkingenvironmentinthearea,whetherthey
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feelsafewalking,whethertrafficisaproblem,etc.
Asummaryofmuchofthisinformationispresentedbelow.Itwillbefurtherex‐ploredandpresentedwithtablesandgraphsinsubsequentreports.
(2)Individualmaps
Participantsareaskedtocreatemapsthatshowhowandwheretheytravel.Eachparticipantisgivenasetofmapsonwhichtodraw.Usingcolouredpenstorepre‐sentdifferentmodesoftravel(walking,bus,auto,bicycling),participantsarein‐structedtotraceallthetripstheyregularlytakeduringatypicalweekwhentheweatheriswarm.Participantsareaskedtoshowtheiractualroutesandtolabeltheirdestinations.Whentheytraveloutsideoftheareaonthemap,theyareaskedtonotetheireventualdestination.ThisinformationisbeingenteredintoaGeo‐graphicalInformationSystem(GIS)thatcanbeusedtoanalyzethedistancespeopletravelbyvariousmodesfordifferentactivities,thetypesofstreetstheytendtouseandthedirectnessoftheirwalkingroutes.Thismapinformationcanalsobecon‐nectedtosurveysforfurtherstatisticalanalysis.
Thistypeofanalysisisveryintensive.Itwillbeincludedinthefinalreportbutisnotreadyforthispreliminarydocument.
HypotheticalExampleofIndividualMapforWalkingandBusTrips(canitincludelegendofredbus,bluewalk?)
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(3)Smallgroupexercise
Participantsareaskedtodiscusstheirneighbourhoodanditswalkingenvironmentandpublicspacesaspartofasmallgroupof5–10people.Eachgroupisseatedaroundalargedisplaymapofthearea.Amemberoftheresearchteamactsasadis‐cussionfacilitator,andalsorecordsparticipant’scommentsdirectlyonthemap.Forexample,ifaparticipantpointsoutaspecificplacewhereitisparticularlydan‐geroustocrossastreet,wantsacrosswalk,likesaparticularpark,oravoidswalk‐ingatnight,thisisrecordedonthemap.Anothermemberoftheresearchstaffalsoactsasanotetakertorecordthediscussion.
Exampleofportionofannotatedmapfromgroupexercise.
Asummaryofmuchofthisinformationispresentedbelowintextform.Themapnotationsmadeintheworkshoparestillbeingcompiledintoonemapandarenotpresentedhere.Thenextsupplementtothisreportwillcontainthisanalysis.
HOWWILLTHEINFORMATIONBEUSED?
Theinformationgatheredfromtheworkshopsinthisprojectwillbeusedtopro‐duceseveralreportsandpapers.Theauthorshopethattheinformationwillbeuse‐fulforneighbourhoodresidentstoadvocateforimprovementstotheirneighbour‐hood.
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(1)Preliminaryreport
Thiscurrentdocumentisapreliminaryreport.ItisintendedtogivefeedbackfromtheChalkfarmworkshop.Similarreportswillbeproducedforeachneighbourhoodthatparticipates.Thereportsdescribetheproject,describewhoparticipatedintheworkshopandgiveafirstcutatwhattheresearchersheardfromparticipants.ThereportwillbemadeavailabletotheChalkfarmCommunityCentreandDoorstepsNeighbourhoodServices.Copiesfordownloadcanalsobefoundattheauthor’swebsites.Seethecontactinformationatthetopofthisdocumentfortheaddresses.Wewillgiveupdatestothisreportaswecontinuetoanalyzethedata.Wealsowel‐comeadditionsorcorrectionsbyresidents.
(2)Finalreport
Afinalreportwillbemadethatincludestheinformationgatheredfromalloftheneighbourhood’sstudies.Thisreportwillincludeafullanalysisofallthedataandmakegeneralconclusionsaboutwhatwelearned.Wewilldiscussthewalkingandtransportationissuesintheneighbourhoodsasawhole,aswellascomparethemtoeachother.Likethepreliminaryreport,wewillmakethisreportavailabletothelocalorganizationsthatworkedwithusandpostitonourwebsites.WewillalsoprovidecopiestotherelevantpeopleandcommitteesattheCityofTorontoinclud‐ingtheMayor,CityCouncillors,PublicRealmOffice,TowerRenewalOffice,andPe‐destrianCommittee.
(3)Academicpapersandpresentations
Wealsohopetoaddtothegrowingliteratureonwalkingandwewillpublishaca‐demicpapersinplanningjournalsandpresentatconferencesbasedonthestudy.Thegoalistohelpotherplannersandacademicsbetterunderstandpedestrianis‐suesinthesetypesofenvironments.
PARTTHREE:THECHALKFARMWALKABILITYWORKSHOP
TheworkshopwasheldonaFridayafternooninMarch2009withadiversegroupofenthusiasticparticipants.Thefollowingsummarizessomeoftheinformationwegatheredfromthe30participantswhocompletedtheindividualmaps,survey,andsmallgroupexercise,forwhichtherewerethreegroups.
First,wepresentinformationgatheredfromthesurveytodescribewhopartici‐patedandtheirgeneraltravelpatterns.Thisinformationisgiveninpercentagestohelpbettercomparetherangeofresponsesbutitshouldberememberedthatthetotalnumbersaresmall.Forexample,10percentofrespondentsconstitutesonly3people.
Thefollowingsectionspresentsthemorequalitativeinformationonwhatpeoplesaidabouttheirwalkingenvironment.
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WHOPARTICIPATED?
Participantsintheworkshopwereadiversegroupofpeople,butshouldnotbeseenasrepresentativeoftheneighbourhoodasawhole.Thissectiondescribessocio‐demographiccharacteristicsoftheparticipants,accordingtothesurveyresponses.
Sexandage
Abouttwo‐thirds(73%)werefemaleandone‐third(27%)male.Theagerangespannedfromunder18tothemostpopulousagerange,40‐65(44%).Fewerpeopleintheirlateteensandearlytwenties,18‐24,attended(19%).
Housingandhouseholdtypes
Morethantwo‐thirdsoftheparticipants(82%)liveinapartmentsandanevenhigherpercentage(86%)renttheirhomes.Whilemostparticipantsmayliveinsimilartypesofhousing,thecompositionofthehouseholdstheycomefromarevaried.Almosthalf(41%)oftheparticipantscamefromhouseholdsofcoupleswithchildren,alittlefewer(31%)weresingleparents,andlessweresingleparticipantswithnokids(18%).Noparticipantscamefromhouseholdsofcoupleswithoutchil‐dren,andtheremainder(10%)camefromunrelatedadultslivinginahouseholdtogether.
Incomeandeducation
Participantsweremostlyfromlow‐incomehouseholds,with41%oftherespond‐entsreportinghouseholdincomesofunder$24,000ayearandanother20%report‐ingincomesof$25,000‐$39,000ayear.Onlyacouplepeople(8%)reportedincomeabovetheselevels,withtheremainderleavingthisquestionblankorreportingtheydidnotknow.
Whileincomelevelswerelow,levelsofeducationwerehigh,with40%reportingattendingcollegeoruniversity.Aslightlylowerpercentage(36%)reportedfinish‐inghighschool.
TimeinCanadaandlanguageathome
Theoverwhelmingmajority(89%)ofrespondentswerebornoutsideCanada.ThelengthoftimerespondentshavelivedinCanadawashighlyvaried,approximatelyone‐thirdreportedlivinginCanadaformorethan10years,20%reportedlivinginCanada5‐10years,and10%living1‐5yearsinCanada.Therewasasignificantnumberofparticipants(30%)havingarrivedinCanadawithinthepastyear.Addi‐tionally,11%oftheparticipantsreportedhavinglivedinCanadatheirentirelife.
Thelanguagesspokenathomereflectthehighnumberanddiversityofthenon‐nativeCanadianparticipants.Intotal,88%reportspeakingalanguageotherthanEnglishathome,withalmosthalfoftheserespondentsspeakingSpanish.Otherlan‐guagesspokenathomewerereportedasSomali,Bengali,Creole,Tagalog,Yuruba,KoreanandTwi.
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Lengthoftimeinneighbourhoodandreasonsforresidence
Asignificantnumberofparticipants(30%)havelivedintheareaforlessthan6months.Theremainderoftheparticipantswerefairlyequallydivided(16‐20%)inhavinglivedintheareafromlessthanayear,toafewyears,to10yearsormore.
Whenaskedtopickfromalistofreasonstheychoosetoliveintheneighbourhood,thehighestresponse(34%)was“tobeclosetoworkorschool.”Being“closetofamilyandfriends”wasthenexthighestresponse(23%),followedequallybyamenities(15%)andaffordability(13%)asreasonswhyrespondentschosetoliveintheneighbourhood.
Employment
Theemploymentsituationsoftheparticipantswerevaried,withhalfofthepartici‐pantsunemployed.Amongsttheremainingparticipants,30%arestudents,13%workfull‐timeandoneparticipantworksmultiplepart‐timejobs.
Driver’slicenceandautoownership
Almostafullhalfofrespondents(47%)reportthattheirhouseholddoesnotownacarorothermotorvehiclebutthemajorityofparticipants(62%)reporthavingadriver’slicence.Theremaining38%oftherespondentsdonothaveadriver'slicence,thoughthemajoritywouldliketoobtainorplantoobtaintheirlicence.
TRAVELBEHAVIOUR
Thesocio‐demographiccharacteristicsoftheparticipantssuggestapopulationthatishighlydependentonwalkingandtransitformeetingtheneedsoftheirhouse‐holds.Thissectiondescribesgeneraltravelpatternsoftheparticipantsintermsofhowoftentheydocommonactivitieslikeshopping,wheresomeoftheseactivitiesoccur–whetherlocallyoroutsidethearea–andthemodeoftravel–walking,bus,driving,bikingorothermodes.Itconfirmstheimportanceofwalkingandtransitfortheparticipants.
Goingtoworkandschool
Oftheparticipantswhoworkoutsidethehomeorgotoschool,morethanhalf(61%)dosowithintheneighbourhood,emphasizingthatlocaltravelisveryim‐portantformost.Mostparticipantsgettoworkorschoolbybus(50%),followedbywalking(36%).Only13%gettoworkbycar,eitherasadriverorapassenger.
Frequencyandmodeofotheractivities
Thefollowingactivitiesrequiringtravelweremostcommonlydoneatleastonceortwiceaweekbyatleasthalfoftheparticipants:foodshopping,generalshoppinganderrands,takingkidstoschool,andtakingkidstootheractivities.Goingtoapark
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orplaygroundeveryweekwasreportedbythree‐quartersofrespondents.Walkingorrunningforpleasureisalsoverycommon,with62%ofparticipantsreportingtheydoatleastonceaweek,including37%ofparticipantsthatreporttheydosoatleast3timesaweek.
Usingthebusandwalkingmostcommonlydominateastheusualmodeoftravelfornecessaryhouseholdactivities.Forfoodshopping,41%ofparticipantsreporttheyusuallywalk,followedby28%whotakethebusandonly26%whodrive.Forgen‐eralshopping(otherthanforfood),athirdusuallywalkand27%percentrelyonthebus.Usingthecar,eitherasthevehicledriverorpassenger,alsoaccountedfor30%ofhowrespondentsdidtheirgeneralshoppinganderrands.Fortakingchil‐drentoschool,55%reporttheywalk,14%takethebus,and21%reportdriving.Fortakingchildrentootheractivities,walkingisagainthedominantmodeoftrans‐portation(46%),withtakingthebusanddrivinghavingequalresponsesof21%.
Wherepeopleshop
Becauseshoppingissuchanimportantactivityforhouseholdsandrequiresregulartripmaking,severalquestionsinthesurveyfurtheraskedforinformationaboutshopping.
Morethantwo‐thirdsofparticipants(82%)reporttheydomostoftheirshoppingneartheirhome.Thisnumberismostlikelyaffectedbythesignificantnumberofparticipantscurrentlyunemployed,whichlimitsthenumberofresponsesofshop‐pingnearworkorin‐betweenworkandhome.PeopleregularlyshopattheSheri‐danMallandYorkdaleMall.Toalesserextent,theJane/FinchMallandLawrenceSquarewerealsomentionedasshoppinglocations.GrocerystoresarelocatedintheSheridanMall(aFoodBasics)andintheshoppingplazaonthesouthsideofWil‐son(aNoFrills).SomeresidentsnotedtheyprefertheNoFrillswhichrequiresadifficultstreetcrossing.
Intermsofchoosingtheirshoppinglocation,pricewaslistedmostfrequentlyasafactorindeterminingwheretoshopbyrespondents(22%).Transportationavail‐able(19%)andlengthoftimetogetthere(16%)werealsosignificantfactors.Alsoratedasimportant,butsomewhatlessso,werethefactorsofabilitytocombinewithothererrandsandavailabilityofculturallyspecificgoods,both14%.
HOWPARTICIPANTSSEETHEIRTRAVELENVIRONMENT
Thissectiondrawsinformationfromboththesurveyandthesmallgroupexercise.Itcontainsparticipant'sevaluationsoftheirpedestrianenvironment.Moregeneralcommentsabouttheneighbourhoodanditspublicspacesfollow.
Generalevaluationofpedestrianenvironment
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Thesurveyhadaseriesofquestionsthataskedpeopletoratetheneighbourhoodtravelenvironment.Formostofthese,participantswerepresentedwithastate‐mentandwereaskedtomarkaresponseonafive‐pointscalerangingfrom'stronglyagree'to'stronglydisagree.'Thebroadeststatementgivenwas“Myneighbourhoodisagoodplaceforwalking.”Theresponsestothestatementweremixed‐30%agreed,30%disagreedand20%wereneutralinstatingtheirneigh‐bourhoodisagoodplaceforwalking.Themajoritydisagreedthattheirneighbour‐hoodwassafefromtraffic(42%)andstronglydisagreedthattheyfeelcomfortablelettingtheirchildrenwalktoplacesontheirown(46%).Responsestosafetyincrossing,useofshortcuts,andjaywalkingwerelessconclusive.
Amongtheresponsestomajorbarriersparticipantsfeltindailytravelwithintheirneighbourhood,thetwomostfrequentbarrierscitedwerepoorsidewalks(23%)andfeelingnotsafe(20%).Specificfactorsofthepedestrianenvironmentaredis‐cussedingreaterdetailbelow.
Generalsidewalkconditions
ParticipantsidentifiedthesidewalksonJaneStreetastheonestheyusemostforcarryingouttheirdailyactivitiesincludinggroceryshopping,generalshopping,andgoingtothebusstop.ThenarrownessofthesidewalksonJanestreetwasraisedbyseveralparticipantsasaproblem.Oneparticipantnotedthatsincethesidewalksaresonarrow,itiseasytobumpintopeoplewalkingintheoppositedirection.ParticipantsalsoreportedthatvehiclestravellingathighspeedsonJaneStreetofteninadvertentlysplashdirtywateronpedestriansonthesidewalks.Thisisparticu‐larlyaproblemwhereJanecomesdownthehillfromSheppardAvenueatthelowpointwhereitcrossesBlackCreek,andinplaceswheretherearepotholesthatfillupwithwaterandmeltedsnow.Participantsnotedthatevenpeoplewaitinginthebusshelterssometimesgetsplashed.
ThesidewalksintothemallareaonthebridgefromJaneStreetbytheTimHortonswasdescribedasbeingverypoor,narrow,andwithoutcurbrampsforwheelchairs,carriages,scooters,orshoppingcarts.MissingsidewalkswereidentifiedbehindthefirestationandinfrontoftheTimHortonswherethereisoftenmud.LetchworthandDeevalestreets,whenwalkingeastfromBeverlyMiddleSchool,werealsoareasidentifiedasplaceswheresidewalksweredesired.Participantsreportedhavingtowalkintheroadduetothelackofsidewalksonthesestreets.Additionallynearthemiddleschool,thereisabigholeinthesidewalkonExbury,justwestofJane.
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Snowclearance
Theconditionofsidewalksandpathsduetopoorsnowclearancewasmentionedinallgroupsasanimportantissue.Participantsreportedthatsidewalksarenotclearedwellenoughandunclearedsnowisamajorbarriertowalkingintheneigh‐bourhoodduringthewintertime.Participantsreportedthatinsomeplacesthepilesofsnowaresohighthatisitdifficultforthemtogetonthesidewalkandimpossibletocrossorclimboverthesnowbanks.Thecityhasidentifiedthepilingofsnowatintersectionsasapedestrianissueinsomeareasofthecity,butitisnotclearwhetherthisneighbourhoodisreceivingattentioninthisregard.
SpecificareashighlightedbytheparticipantsasneedingbettersnowclearancewerethesouthernbranchofChalkfarmStreet(runningeast/west)alongHeathrowStreetgoingtoTumpanePublicSchool,andJaneStreet,whereclearingthestreetleavespilesofsnowontopofalreadynarrowsidewalks.ThepedestrianbridgeandpathstotheChalkfarmapartments,andtheauto/pedestrianbridgeintothemallfromJanebytheTimHortonswerealsomentionedasnothavinggoodsnowclearance.Thesearebothveryactivepedestrianroutes.
Connectivity
Aninitialinspectionoftheindividualmappingexerciseshowsthat,apartfromthepedestrianbridgeconnectingtheChalkfarmapartmentstotheSheridanMall,peo‐pleheavilyrelyonthelargearterialstreets,especiallyJane,towalktotheplacestheyneedtogointheneighbourhood.Inthesurvey,participantsdidnotidentifythepedestriannetworkaspoorlyconnectedbut,inthesmallgroupexercise,issuesre‐latedtoconnectivitywerecitedseveraltimesbyparticipants.
Thelengthofsignallightsandplacementofcrosswalksweretwospecificissuesthatwerehighlighted.Participantsfeltthelengthofsomesignallightsarenotlongen‐oughtogivethemenoughtimetocrosssafely.ThecrosswalkbetweenDallner.RoadandWilsonwasmentionedasaplacewithashortcrossingsignal,andwherepeopleoftenhavetorunacrossthestreetsafely.Participantsmentionedthattheelderly,peoplewithstrollers/cartsandthedisabledfinditextradifficulttocrossstreets.
Relatedtoconnectivity,someparticipantsfeltthattherearenotenoughcrosswalks.SomeparticipantsstatedthattheydidnotfeelcomfortablecrossingJaneorWilsonStreet,exceptatalight,becauseofthefast,heavytraffic.However,trafficsig‐nalsarewidelyspaced,oftenrequiringalongwalkoutofthewaytogotoasafecrossing.CrossingWilsonAvenuebetweentheSheridanMallandtheshoppingplazaonthesouthsidewheresomeresidentsprefertodotheirgroceryshoppingisclearlya
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problem.Thereisanalmostconstantstreamofpedestriansthatriskcrossingagainstfourlanesofoftenheavy,fasttrafficwithoutasignal.
BridgebetweenSheridanMallandChalkfarmApartments
Thebridgebehind180ChalkfarmprovidesadirectroutebetweentheSheridanMallandapartmentslocatedonthenorthsideofBlackCreek.Thebridge,whichisheavilyused,wasthesubjectofmuchpassionatediscussionduringthesmallgroupsessions.
Participantsstatedaccesstothebridgewasdifficultbecauseofasteepslopebetweentheapartmenttowersandthefootofbridge.Thisisparticularlydifficultinwinter,withslipperyconditions.Oneparticipantmentionedshehadfallenontheslopeonnumerousoccasions.Snowisanadditionalwinterbarrierwithplowedsnowfromtheparkinglotpilednearthefootofthebridge.
Additionally,thereisanotabledifferenceinheightofthebridgesurfaceandthewalkingsurfaceoneitherside,towhichthebridgedoesnotconnectsmoothly.Thiscreatesasteeprampatthefootofthebridgethatisdifficultforpeoplewithbabycarriagesorshoppingcartsandpeoplewithmobilityimpairmentsthatarecon‐stantlyusingthebridge.
Onceacrossthebridge,thereisnoclearpathwaytothemallentrance,andpedes‐triansmustwalkthroughanareaoftheparkingmallparkinglot.Participantsnotedthatcars,oftenatquitehighspeeds,cutaroundthebackofthemallthroughthisareaasawaytoavoidtheJane/Wilsonintersection.Withblindcorners,nosignsre‐quiringastop,andnoindicationthisisanactivepedestrianarea,someparticipantsreportedtheyoftendonotfeelsafefromtraffic.SomeparticipantsevenreportedtheywillaroundbutgoingwalkouttoJaneStreettore‐enterthemalltoavoidusingthebridge,evenifitismuchfarthertowalk.
Personalsecurityalsocameupasaconcernforpeopletravellingacrossthebridgeandthroughtheparkinglottothemall,andmanypeoplementionedthedesireforbetterlightingthroughthisarea.Someparticipantsmentioned“youthhangingout”and“bigcars”thatareparkednearthefootbridgeinthemallareawherepeopleevensetuptablesandplaycards.Residentsweren'tsureifwhetherornotthesewerepeoplefromoutsidethecommunity.Inthiscontext,therewasalsosomedis‐cussionofthelackofalternativeplacesforpeopletogatheroutofdoors.
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TheRavines
ManyparticipantsfeltthatBlackCreeknear180Chalkfarmheldpotentialtobeusedbetterbythecommunity.Someparticipantsthoughtheravinewouldbenicebutthatit'stoodirtywithgarbageonthepathnexttotheravine,aswellaspeopledumpinggarbageintotheriver.Othersworriedaboutchildrenfallingintotheriverandcitedthelackoffencingneartheravineasbeingdangerous.Iftheravinewassafer,someparticipantsmentionedtheywouldgototheravinemorethantheydo.
Garbage
Thepilesofgarbageinvariouslocationsoftheneighbourhoodwererepeatedlyraisedasanissue.Inadditiontotheravine,someoftheotherplacesmentionedhadgarbagewerearoundNoFrillsareaintheJane/Finchmallparkinglot,theparkinglotnearthebridge,thecommunitygardeninthewintertime,andthebackofthe180Chalkfarmbuildingwhereresidentscomplainedaboutthesmellsassociatedwithgarbage.
Bicycles
Whilethevastmajorityofparticipantsdonotreportusingabicycle,whenaskedaboutaccessforpeopleinbicycles,manyparticipantsmentionedthattherearebikeridersinthearea.Withthelargestreetsnotfeelingsafeforriding,bikesonthenar‐rowsidewalkswasseenasahazardforpedestrians.Althoughsomeparticipantsmentionedridingabikeforpleasure,somefamiliesreportednotallowingtheirchil‐drentoridebecauseofthedangerfromtraffic.
Securityandlighting
Feelingsafewhenoneisoutwalkingisclearlyanimportantconcernforcreatinggoodpedestrianenvironments.Fromthesurveyanddiscussioninthesmallgroupexercise,personalsecurityisasignificantissueformanyoftheparticipants.Fortypercentofparticipantsmarkedthatnotfeelingsafeis“amajorbarriertotheirdailytravelintheneighbourhood.,”and,inanotherquestionasking,“Ifyoufeelunsafewalkingincertainpartsofyourneighbourhood,whataresomeofthereasonswhy?,”only10%percentofparticipantsmarked“Notapplicable,Iprettymuchfeelsafe.”
Severalfactorswerelistedforparticipantstoidentifywhatmakesthemfeelunsafeandsomeofthesewerenotrelatedtopersonalsecuritysuchastraffic(markedby23%).Still,53%ofparticipantsmarked'Poorlighting,'47%ofparticipantsmarked“Scarypeople,”30%marked“Toofewpeoplearound,”23%marked“Placeswithtrees,bushesorbuildingswhereIcan'tseewhoisthere,”and20%marked“PlaceswithfencesandnarrowspaceswhereIfeelnervous.”Likewise,whenaskedaboutthingspeopledotofeelsafe,53%oftheparticipantssaidtheyavoidgoingoutatnight.Participantsalsowalkwithothers,keeptothemainstreets,keeptothelight‐ing,avoidcertainstreets,andcarryacellphone(all30%)asotherstrategiestofeelsafetravellingintheirneighbourhood.Thebridgeandsurroundingareahasalready
15PreliminaryReport:Chalkfarm‐BlackCreekWalkabilityWorkshop
beendiscussedasanareaofgeneralconcern,butparticipantsidentifiedotherareasthatfeelisolatedandunsafe.
Publicspaces
Otherthanthestreetsandthemall(whichwasmentionedasaplacepeoplegotowalkforexercise),thegreenspacesaroundthebuilding,theravineandtheparksconstitutetheneighbourhood’smainpublicspaces.SomeparticipantsthoughttheneighbourhoodaroundChalkfarmisabeautifulplacetowalk,becauseit'sneararavineandgreenspaces.Thegreenspacesbetweenthebuildingswasalsoidenti‐fiedasaniceplaceforrecreation,onethatchildrenfrequentlyuse.
However,whenaskedwherepeopleliketogoanrelax,someparticipantssuggestedtherewerenogoodplacesandoneparticipantsevensaidshetakesthebustogotonicerparksawayfromthearea.Personalsecuritywasbroughtupasanissue,butsowasthelackofgoodfacilities.ThebenchesintheparkareaalongBlackCreek,forexample,wereallremovedsomeyearsbackandhaveneverbeenreplaced.Thepoolintheparkwashighlightedasaplacepeopleenjoybutthattherearenoplacestositintheshadeinthepark.Thereisalsonoevidentinvestmentinthispark,withnoflowersorlandscapingasiscommonlyfoundinothersimilarcityparks.
Likewise,theextensiveDownsviewDellscomesrighttoJaneStreet,butthereisnoformalpathwayintothemainpartofthepark,whichcanonlybeaccessedbyroadfromthesingle‐familyneighbourhoodstotheeastofJaneStreet.Manyresidentsdidnotseemtobeawarethattherewasamajorparkthatimmediatelyadjoinstheircommunity.
Manyplayareasforchildrenwerealsoidentifiedasneedingfencesandotherim‐provements.Forexample,residentsmentionedthattheplaygroundat180Chalk‐farmneedsafencetokeepchildrenseparatefromtheparkinglot.AsimilarconcernwasraisedforthewaterplayareatothewestoftheChalkfarmbuilding,thatchil‐drenenjoy,butthathasnofencingbetweentheplayareaandtheravine.Theplay‐groundatSt.Gerardschoolwasdeemed'okay'becausethereisnoparkinglotneartheplayground.
Finally,participantsidentifiedaclearlackofplacestogoforteenages.Inpart,thiswasconnectedtotalkaboutproblemsof‘youth’hangingaroundthebridge,butnogoodalternativeswereidentified.Thecommunitycentre,forexample,wasidenti‐fiedasbeingsmall.Itisalsoclearlyinverypoorrepair.Whentheworkshopwasheldthere,muchofthemainroomwasblockedoffbecauseoftheleakingroof.Peo‐plespecificallymentionedbasketballcourtsandagymasplacesthatwerelackingforteens.
16PreliminaryReport:Chalkfarm‐BlackCreekWalkabilityWorkshop
SUMMARYOFTHEMES
Theinformationpresentedabovedoesnotfullydescribeallthecommentsweheard,alltheinformationcollectedinthesurvey,orincludeasystematiccompi‐lationofthenotesmadeonthemaps.Thisworkwillcontinue.
However,eventhepreliminaryreportingofinformationfromtheworkshopbringsupsomeclearthemes.First,theparticipantsrepresentapopulationthathaslimitedcaruse,abarriertomobilityinthecar‐orientedinnersuburbs,suchastheBlackCreekCommunity.Dependentonwalkingandtransittocarryouttheirdailylives,mostparticipantsshopbyfootandbuswithintheneighbourhood.Manyalsowalkortakethebuslocallyforworkandschool.
Overall,peoplefeltthatthecommunitywaswelllocatedandclosetomanyservicesthatpeopleneed.Yet,thewalkingenvironmentposedanissueformanypeople.SidewalkandwalkingconditionsalongJane,amajorrouteusedbytheparticipantstoaccesstheSheridanMall,wereseenasaproblem.Inwinter,snowremoval,ice,andsnowbanksthatpeoplemustclimbtocrossstreetsortousethebuswasclearlyidentifiedasaproblem.WithToronto'slongwinters,thisisclearlyamajorissueforpeoplewhohaveanydifficultywalkingbutmustdosotofulfilbasicneeds.Outsideofwinter,thesidewalksalongJanewereidentifiedastoonarrowandcrowded.
Thebridgebehind180ChalkfarmisthemainroutepeopleusetoaccesstheSheri‐danMallasitisthemostdirect.Accesstothebridgeisdifficultduetothesteepslopetogettothefootofthebridge,andonceatthebridge,thebridgedoesnotconnectsmoothlytothewalkingsurface.Thiscreatesproblemsforlargenumbersofpeoplewhocrossthebridgewithshoppingcartsandstrollers,aswellforpeoplewithmobilityimpairments.Aftercrossingthebridge,peoplefeelunsafewalkingthoughtheparkinglottoaccessthemallduetothelackofapedestrianpathwayandfastmovingcarscuttingthroughtheparkinglottoavoidtheJane/Wilsonintersec‐tion.
Somepeopleclearlydidnotfeelsafemovingabouttheneighbourhood,partlyduetowalkingconditionsbutalsobecauseofsecurityconcerns.Someconcernswerere‐latedtophysicaldesignorinsufficientmaintenance,while'scarypeople'leadotherstoavoidcertainplacesoravoidgoingoutwhenitisdark.Betterlightinginsomearea,suchasthepedestrianbridgeinthenorthparkinglotofthemallwassup‐portedbymany.
Finally,participantsseethenaturalpotentialoftheirneighbourhood,withthead‐joiningBlackCreekRavineandsurroundingparksandgreenspaces.Currently,thelackofinvestmentandsafetyprecautionsdeterpeoplefromusingthespaces.Bet‐terlighting,fencing,seating,areaswithshadeandgarbageremovalwereidentifiedasconcretestepsthatcouldbetakentomakethepublicspacesoftheneighbour‐hoodmoreinviting.