Research indicates a pressing demand for green spaces in urban areas due to their multifaceted ability to enhance both the physical and social environments (Kelly et al., 2022). The physical environment of urban centers within a city often poses a risk when it comes to higher temperatures (Urban Heat Island), as well as filtration issues that can result from the high concentration of concrete (Anderson et al., 2022). Thus, green spaces are integral when it comes to heat mitigation and stormwater filtration (Venkataramanan et al., 2019). Socially, green spaces such as community gardens and parks are used as avenues for gatherings and places where people can connect with each other (Mejia et al., 2020; Oh et al., 2022)
Within this project, we define green spaces as parks, gardens, and open areas, emphasizing their importance for community well-being that can foster connectivity among residents of Regent Park (Kelly et al., 2022; Mejia et al., 2020; Oh et al., 2022). An example of such versatile green spaces is evident in the utilization of community gardens situated on the North Side of the neighbourhood (Elton, 2020). Beyond their primary function of provisioning, residents in this neighbourhood utilize the gardens as venues for social gatherings, where they exchange cultural recipes. Moreover, parks and open green spaces serve as platforms for community events, gatherings, and religious practices. Consequently, our research question, "How can green spaces be used as avenues for cultivating meaningful social connections in Regent Park?" delves into the underlying theme of social cohesion facilitated by green spaces.
Our research employs a mixed-method approach that incorporates spatial analysis (GIS), survey data, and interviews. These methods delve further into the dynamics of green spaces within Regent Park. Initially, we gathered survey responses from residents, aiming to capture their experiences and perceptions of green spaces. Central to our interview process was the question, "What do green spaces mean to you?" This question was followed by survey questions concerning residents' preferences regarding the location of future green spaces. Leveraging both survey and interview data, we conducted a spatial analysis using ArcGIS to present resident preferences. This involved the development of a heat map that visually represents our findings. Furthermore, we conducted a historical analysis, examining imagery dating back to 2003, to trace the evolution of green spaces within the neighbourhood up to 2022, coinciding with its revitalization phase.
Having now sorted, and analyzed our data, our group was tasked with producing a multimedia project that will best showcase our participatory research and design process. With the expansive mixed methods data we collected, we decided to design a website using the web developer tool Wix. We believe that utilizing a website will be the best multimedia tool to depict and tell the story of our project, “The Green Atlas”. Through “The Green Atlas”, we set out to story-tell the change to the aggregated green spaces of Regent Park as the neighbourhood continues to be revitalized until now. Divided into five distinct website pages, our website is a collection of many different media pieces that include short interviews, qualitative data coding & word analysis, mapping, and image use. The first page titled, “Our Green Journey” describes our research question, our purpose for this type of research, and an introduction to “The Green Committee”- Isaac, Mishika, Shameel, and Julie. Next, we have “From Green to Concrete” which discusses the revitalization of Regent Park since 2003, showing how the abundance of natural green areas that were once present were replaced by ‘concrete’ and buildings. Thirdly, we created a page dedicated to presenting our data. This page is called, “The Green Voices of Regent Park”, taking inspiration from Soep & Chávez’s (2010) “point of voice” concept. In addition, the survey data collected is open-access and is hyperlinked on this page. The fourth page, “Mapping the Green” contains a variety of maps created to enrich our survey data and interview findings. Here you will find very personalized maps where each diagram seeks to digitize and map a “green story”. Finally, you will arrive at “A Green Future”, which presents three different types of contemporary green spaces that we believe can be implemented to help with the shortage of green spaces within Regent Park. Through this mixed-methods approach, we employ the art of “participatory storytelling” (Hou, 2023). Hou (2023, p. 4) explains that participatory storytelling “offers pathways for agentic comprehension and adaptive collective sensemaking from which practical and situated knowledge can be mobilized from people’s shared experiences”. Ideally, the collection and employment of these lived experiences of Regent Park’s residents present their story about green spaces within the neighbourhood. It seems that through this website, we have developed a sustained opportunity for knowledge and information exchange which Soep & Chávez (2010) argue is important for change to occur.
Now that our research and design processes have been completed, we developed three specific goals for this project. This three-pronged approach appreciates that this website can become a reference piece, improve & fill the gaps in green space data within Regent Park, and be a source for community participation & social planning. In other words, we see the potential for our project to inform and be a source of inspiration for future green space interventions designed for Regent Park residents. In addition, we envisioned that this website would also be a great reference tool to help enrich the future development of the Social Development Plan (SDP), where green spaces can become a theme of development within the neighbourhood. Lastly, one of the most important objectives of this project was to ensure community participation through community stakeholder engagement. So far, we have been able to achieve these three goals; however, there is always room for improvement. At our exhibition, our table received great feedback from exhibition attendees, agreeing that we can be pioneers in green space development within Regent Park, and bring back the effect and feelings of green spaces that were once foundational to this neighbourhood.
In the beginning, our vision for this project came with different thoughts and ideas on how we would like for it to take shape. Although it was a long and difficult process, we found that the most meaningful aspect of our project was collaborating with residents within Regent Park, and having their thoughts and ideas play a valuable role in our final deliverable. This community engagement included residents to pin areas where they wanted green space, recording video memos of what green space meant to them, and having them visualize a green wall. This data collection and engagement emphasized the importance of addressing community voices within a research and design context. As a result, this taught us to be open to different suggestions and be able to pivot from various ideas that we had. Nevertheless, we learned how to use the strengths that each member had. Our group had members familiar with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and knew how to use software such as ArcGIS. We also had members who were significantly involved within the Regent Park community. Giving those members tasks that allowed them to use those skills enabled us to have several diverse components to the project.
In conclusion, the process of creating our project, "The Green Atlas," was an experience that we all enjoyed. From going through Regent Park 101 classes to the final exhibition, this class gave us a clearer definition of meaningful community collaboration and the impact of centring community voices in our work. Looking ahead, we hope this project can inspire and guide future initiatives relating to green space in Regent Park
Screenshot of the website which can be found under the Projects 2024 tab
The Green Committee members are Julie, Shameel, Issac, and Mishika
References:
Anderson, V.; Gough, W.A.; Zgela, M.; Milosevic, D.; Dunjic, J. (2022). Lowering the Temperature to Increase Heat Equity: A Multi-Scale Evaluation of Nature-Based Solutions in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Atmosphere, 13, 1027. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13071027
Elton, S. (2021). Growing Methods: Developing a Methodology for Identifying Plant Agency and Vegetal Politics in the City. Environmental Humanities, 13(1), 93–112. https://doi.org/10.1215/22011919-8867219
Hou, J. Z. (2023). “Sharing is caring”: Participatory storytelling and community building on social media amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. American Behavioral Scientist, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/00027642231164040
Kelly, D., Davern, M., Farahani, L., Higgs, C., & Maller, C. (2022). Urban greening for health and wellbeing in low-income communities: A baseline study in Melbourne, Australia. Cities, 120, 103442-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2021.103442 Mejia, A., Bhattacharya,
M., & Miraglia, J. (2020). Community gardening as a way to build cross-cultural community resilience in intersectionally diverse gardeners: Community-based participatory research and campus-community-partnered proposal. JMIR Research Protocols, 9(10), e21218–e21218. https://doi.org/10.2196/21218
Oh, R. R. Y., Zhang, Y., Nghiem, L. T. P., Chang, C., Tan, C. L. Y., Quazi, S. A., Shanahan, D. F., Lin, B. B., Gaston, K. J., Fuller, R. A., & Carrasco, R. L. (2022). Connection to nature and time spent in gardens predicts social cohesion. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 74, 127655-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2022.127655
Soep, L., & Chavez, V. (2019). Three. Point of Voice. In Drop That Knowledge (pp. 81–102). University of California Press. https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520945456-006
Venkataramanan, V., Packman, A. I., Peters, D. R., Lopez, D., McCuskey, D. J., McDonald, R. I., Miller, W. M., & Young, S. L. (2019). A systematic review of the human health and social well-being outcomes of green infrastructure for stormwater and flood management. Journal of Environmental Management, 246, 868–880. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.05.028