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.