{"id":319534,"date":"2022-08-10T14:52:32","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T19:52:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yfile.news.yorku.ca\/?p=319534"},"modified":"2025-04-02T12:18:41","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T16:18:41","slug":"toronto-greenspaces-create-structural-systemic-barriers-for-racialized-residents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/yfile\/2022\/08\/10\/toronto-greenspaces-create-structural-systemic-barriers-for-racialized-residents\/","title":{"rendered":"Toronto greenspaces create structural, systemic barriers for racialized residents"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Racialized residents could face structural and systemic barriers to accessing, using and navigating Toronto\u2019s greenspaces, say the authors of a new report led by 快播视频.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The report, \"Park Perceptions and Racialized Realities: Exploring the experiences of racialized residents in two Toronto neighbourhoods<\/a>,\" offers several recommendations toward making the city\u2019s public greenspaces more welcoming to racialized and Black, Indigenous and people of colour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

York PhD candidate Nadha Hassen<\/strong> led the participatory research project with Professor Sarah Flicker<\/a><\/strong>, both of the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, in collaboration with Greenchange<\/a>, Jane\/Finch Centre<\/a> and the St. James Town Community Co-operative<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report will launch on Friday, Aug. 12<\/strong> at an exhibit of photographs by 18 racialized residents and photographers from either the Jane and Finch or St. James Town areas who participated in the project. The event will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Corner Commons, Jane-Finch Mall Parking Lot, 1911 Finch Ave. W., Toronto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The photographers took photos with a view to access, safety, health and well-being across various Toronto greenspaces identifying structural and systemic barriers to accessing and navigating the spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTogether, we collected more than 200 photos and videos documenting resident experiences and capturing perceptions on issues like access, safety, inclusivity, and mental health and well-being,\u201d says Hassen. \u201cThere were more than 55 online discussions to debrief those experiences and share perspectives on what it means to navigate and use public greenspaces in Toronto as racialized people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the other key themes include: belonging and social connection; exclusion; right to play and children\u2019s recreation; maintenance inequities; and, gentrification and complex use of space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDiscussions about greenspaces were an entry point to examining broader issues and barriers faced by racialized residents,\u201d says Flicker, York Research Chair in Community-Based Participatory Cesearch. \u201cMany of the experiences tran\u00adscend the two represented neighbourhoods as they are common to others living in underserved, margin\u00adalized and racialized neighbourhoods across Toronto.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The communities of Jane and Finch and St. James Town are extremely diverse and are home to many low-income racialized newcomers from various parts of the world. Resident photographers from both communities shared how greenspaces in their neighbourhoods can enable people of all races, ages and diverse backgrounds to have fun and interact, while providing opportunities for connection, enjoyment, peace, mental relief and belonging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, they describe experiences of unspoken racism, prejudice, stigmatization and lack of safety, as well as barriers to inclusion and feeling like they don\u2019t belong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key recommendations identified by residents include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n