COVID-19 street reallocation in mid-sized Canadian cities: socio-spatial equity patterns

Abstract

Intervention: Street reallocation interventions in three Canadian mid-sized cities: Victoria (British Columbia), Kelowna (British Columbia), and Halifax (Nova Scotia) related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research question: What street reallocation interventions were implemented, and what were the socio-spatial equity patterns?

Methods: We collected data on street reallocations (interventions that expand street space for active transportation or physical distancing) from April 1 to August 15, 2020 from websites and media. For each city, we summarized length of street reallocations (km) and described implementation strategies and communications. We assessed socio-spatial patterning of interventions by comparing differences in where interventions were implemented by area-level mobility, accessibility, and socio-demographic characteristics.

Results: Two themes motivated street reallocations: supporting mobility, recreation, and physical distancing in populous areas, and bolstering COVID-19 recovery for businesses. The scale of responses ranged across cities, from Halifax adding an additional 20% distance to their bicycle network to Kelowna closing only one main street section. Interventions were located in downtown cores, areas with high population density, higher use of active transportation, and close proximity to essential destinations. With respect to socio-demographics, interventions tended to be implemented in areas with fewer children and areas with fewer visible minority populations. In Victoria, the interventions were in areas with lower income populations and higher proportions of Indigenous people.

Conclusion: In this early response phase, some cities acted swiftly even in the context of massive uncertainties. As cities move toward recovery and resilience, they should leverage early learnings as they act to create more permanent solutions that support safe and equitable mobility.

Keywords: Active transportation; Built environment; COVID-19; City planning; Policy; Public health.

Fig. 1

Map of pre-existing bicycle infrastructure and street reallocations in Victoria

Fig. 2

Proportion of total street reallocation interventions in Victoria, across quartiles of mobility and accessibility measures. Quartile 1 reflects areas potentially in need of supports or attention (e.g., higher population density, poorer active living environments, lower mode share, lower proximity to services) and quartile 4 the lowest population density and greatest values for mobility and accessibility measures

Fig. 3

Proportion of total street reallocation interventions in Victoria, across quartiles of socio-demographic measures. Q1 represents DAs with lower income, and higher proportions of visible minority and Indigenous populations, children and youth, or older adults (for the proportion of the population who is Black metric, Q1 comprises 235 DAs that have zero values and other quartiles have ~ 52 DAs)

Fig. 4

Map of pre-existing bicycle infrastructure and Bernard Ave full street closure for temporary patios and physical distancing in Kelowna

Fig. 5

Map of pre-existing bicycle infrastructure and street reallocations in Halifax

Fig. 6

Halifax Mobility Response branding and signage (Halifax Regional Municipality 2020b)

Fig. 7

Proportion of total of street reallocation interventions in Halifax, across quartiles of mobility and accessibility measures. Quartile 1 has the highest population density and the lowest values for each mobility or accessibility measure, and Q4 has the lowest population density and highest values for mobility and accessibility

Fig. 8

Proportion of total of street reallocation interventions in Halifax, across quartiles of socio-demographic measures. Q1 has the highest proportion of priority populations and Q4 has the lowest