A University of Alberta researcher wants to expand the definition of accessibility to make better, more active public spaces.
“We all know that the ability to use a space goes beyond the physical,” Josephine Godwyll, U of A assistant professor, told CBC’s Radio Active.
Godwyll’s research in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport and Recreation focuses on perceived accessibility — a strategy that can create public recreational spaces that better suit the needs of their communities.
“Perceived accessibility looks at the meanings that are associated with different spaces that would allow people to recognize an opportunity to use that space,” she said.
Accessibility is fundamentally an issue of inclusion, but the barriers that can prevent someone from accessing a space aren’t always physical, says Godwyll.
A walk (not) in the park
Godwyll’s own experiences, as an immigrant from Ghana studying in Arizona for her PhD, prompted the research.
“Anytime I walked by a park I’d see less and less people that look like me in these spaces,” she said.
While distance and accessibility are a key part of urban planning — Godwyll’s work suggests it doesn’t help if the community can’t see themselves using that space.
Recognizing the barriers that prevented her from accessing and enjoying parks led her to start the Justice in Environments of Leisure Lab (JELL) at the U of A.
Radio Active7:40Creating perceived accessibility in our public spaces
We hear from Josephine Godwyll, a researcher and assistant professor in the faculty of kinesiology, sport and recreation at the University of Alberta
Godwyll identified three key themes to overcoming challenges and creating perceived accessibility in a space: ease of use, planning and engagement experiences and the role of social interactions with and within the space.
For many marginalized and low-income communities, the most important element is inclusion in the planning and design process. Ensuring that the experience is friendly and positive can be a game changer.
“If you think about Edmonton as an area that is taking in a lot of immigrants from all over the world, there are traits and barriers that are shared across these communities that could influence whether they use spaces or not,” she said.
Godwyll said a positive engagement process encourages community members to share things that could signal that a public space is somewhere they’re welcome, “rather than just making the spaces available and expecting that everybody uses it just because they are there.”
An example could be the addition of cricket pitches in neighbourhoods with a large South Asian population, or spaces that can be adapted to play other sports that invite community members with different backgrounds to the space.
“The basic point is that different people have different ways of utilizing different spaces. As much as you have immigrants coming from all over the world, there are some common traits that could influence the way they interpret or assign meanings to those spaces that we create,” said Godwyll.
Mabuhay, welcome
In Edmonton, one space has taken cultural accessibility to the next level.
Mabuhay Park in the city’s Laurel neighbourhood opened last October. The green space is named after the Tagalog word for “welcome” and was a community and city effort.
Organizer Manny Bautista said while it is a city park and property, giving it a meaningful name from their community has made a difference.
“We are very grateful that we were given the opportunity to push our heritage and the word Mabuhay,” he said. “It makes [the community] feel good, right? Proud.”
Bautista said the name has encouraged Filipinos to visit.
“A park is a public space, it is free. You don’t need to ask anybody’s permission just to come there to light a cigarette, bring your dog, have a coffee, have a conversation,” Bautista said. “You don’t need to book it, you just go there and celebrate the good things about life.”
A framework for future parks
Godwyll hopes that urban planners and designers can use the framework she and her team developed to make better public spaces, but acknowledges that there are challenges.
“A lot of times we shy away from this because it seems so intangible,” she said.
It’s something she thinks about when she visits public spaces in cities across North America.
“The most important thing is the community,” said Godwyll. “Do they feel connected to it? And do they ascribe meanings of use to these spaces?”
“There are differences, but then there are ways that you could find commonality in how people view spaces that are welcoming or, or view opportunities to use certain spaces.”