Access to Parks and Green Spaces in Quebec City, Canada: Developing Children-Specific Accessibility Measures

Abstract

Accessibility indicators are gaining traction in research and planning as they provide a joint understanding of how transport networks and land-use patterns enable individuals to reach a variety of destinations. Local accessibility is especially beneficial for children as they do not have the same capacities to travel as adults and their independent mobility is generally constrained to active modes such as walking and cycling. Further, active and independent travel are linked to their health and well-being. Yet, there does not appear to have been much work done in relation to developing accessibility indicators specific to children. This study presents a methodology to specifically assess accessibility to parks (a key destination for children) on foot and by bicycle for children in Quebec City, Canada using open-access data. Accessibility indicators were generated for each residential lot based on the suitability of the pedestrian and cycling infrastructure for children. The number of parks accessible was presented and the equity of accessibility to parks was considered through population and socioeconomic measures. The results revealed a notable decrease in walking accessibility when only dedicated pedestrian infrastructure was considered, and differences between walking and cycling accessibility. This enabled the identification of accessibility gaps where the existing infrastructure did not provide safe access to parks and green spaces for children This research will be of interest to researchers and planners aiming to refine accessibility indicators to support children’s independent mobility, while taking equity into consideration.