Understanding urban accessibility: A community-engaged pilot study of entrance features.

The accessibility of the built environment is an equity issue. Accessibility standards for buildings exist, but often apply to new buildings or major renovations. This renders historic neighborhoods inaccessible. Accessibility standards and related assessments rarely consider the experiences and priorities of people who experience disability. Partnered with local government and an accessibility advisory committee, we conducted a pilot study of urban accessibility in Edmonton Edmon, Alberta, Canada. We measured four indicators of entranceway accessibility along a popular, central commercial corridor and mapped the data with building age using QGIS. We found significant accessibility barriers.

Examining aspects of the built environment: an evaluation of a community walking map project.

OBJECTIVE: Interventions that address the built environment present an opportunity to affect behaviours such as physical activity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a community walking map developed for eight neighbourhoods in the City of Edmonton (COE). METHOD: A walking map developed in partnership with the COE's Walkable Initiative was distributed to 11,994 households across eight neighbourhoods in July 2010. In total, 149 respondents completed an online follow-up survey that assessed the effectiveness of the walking maps in influencing physical activity. RESULTS: Of the 149 respondents, 89 (59.7%) reported that they had received a copy of the map, and 60 (40.2%) reported that they had not. Of those who had a copy, 76.4% (n=68) indicated that the routes and destinations on the map encouraged them to walk more in the community, 64.0% (n=57) stated they would walk more often to get to destinations, and 55.1% (n=49) indicated they would walk more often for physical activity or exercise as a result of having a copy of the map. Finally, 91.0% (n=81) stated that they found the map to be useful, as it provided walking routes (60/81, 74.1%,) and places to go in the community (57/81, 70.4%). Of those who did not receive a copy, 95.0% (n=57) indicated that they would use a community walking map. CONCLUSION: This evaluation demonstrated that a community walking map was a valuable tool for not only encouraging walking for physical activity but also motivating individuals to explore their communities and visit local community destinations.