Vancouver and Calgary have a lot of work to do when it comes to accessibility: report

Calgary and Vancouver are very different cities when it comes to accessibility.

In a study published and conducted by AccessNow, a Canadian-based organization that works towards improving accessibility, buildings and retailers in areas across the two cities were rated and ranked based on a number of things.

Those included accessible parking availability, ramps, automated doors, and elevators or stairlifts.

Using different coloured pins, each surveyed location was represented based on three different levels.

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A green pin on the AccessNow map represents an accessible location — those are places
without barriers.

A yellow pin represents a location that is partially accessible that often has alternative entrances but still presents barriers or limited access within the space, like steps or narrow hallways.

A red pin represents a location that is not accessible. These are places with concrete barriers preventing people from accessing the sites.

The study concluded that, based on perceived accessibility, Calgary was 35% accessible, and Vancouver was 48.5% accessible.

AccessNow uses the term perceived accessibility to describe the state of accessibility of space since it is based on crowdsourced observation and interaction.

The organization employed and trained a team of people who have a range of disabilities to navigate those spaces and record their experiences using its technology platform and methodology.

“This approach provided a direct and personalized means of gaining insight into the positive and negative experiences of accessibility in Canadian cities, resulting in a highly effective application of civic technology that allowed communities with shared interests to contribute to public policy.” reads the report.

“In concrete terms, it meant that people with lived experience of disability were involved in every aspect of the research plan.”

The survey mapped 4,367 places in Vancouver, adding 4,877 reviews to AccessNow’s platform. That city was 48.5% accessible, according to the research.

This map, the report says, shows many dissemination areas as somewhat, less, and least accessible, shown as shades of red along major arterial streets like Kingsway and Broadway.

The report notes that the dark red of Stanley Park in the top centre of the map doesn’t mean that the entire park is highly inaccessible but that the buildings assessed within the dissemination area had a high level of least accessible categories.

“While the seawall that encircles Stanley Park and the many pathways in and around the park are generally celebrated as accessible, these were not assessed as part of the project,” reads the report.

In Calgary, 5,381 places were mapped, and 5,715 reviews were added to the platform. The study showed that Calgary was 13.5% less accessible than Vancouver.

Kensington and Sunnyside, highlighted in a red box on the map, have areas that rank higher in terms of accessibility than other parts of the city.

“The downtown core of Calgary shows most of their dissemination areas in the less and least accessible categories,” reads the report.

The project intends for its outcome to reflect the authenticity of Canadians with disabilities,
demonstrating progress towards a truly accessible nation by 2040.

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