Healthy City Maps: Metro Vancouver

Showing posts with label Metro Vancouver. Show all posts

Community Design Indicators and Neighbourhood Population Health

This infographic summarizes my Major Research Project (MRP) completed for the Master of Planning in Urban Development program at Ryerson University. I am happy to be finished my degree requirements now, and I am looking forward to getting back to my professional career. Please email me at Anth42[at]gmail.com if you know of any job opportunities that may align with my passion for creating healthy communities.

You can download my entire MRP by clicking on the cover page below:

OBJECTIVE – Healthy community design is an emerging paradigm that unites the fields of urban planning and public health. Many studies have evaluated Community Design Indicators (CDIs) related to land use, transportation, housing, food and natural areas and many of these studies have also linked CDIs to harmful or protective physical, mental and social health impacts. However, most studies focus on a small number of design indicators and many rely on proprietary datasets. Alternatively, this study calculates a comprehensive set of CDIs using open data sets and links results to a wide range of health measures.

METHODS – A literature review of CDI calculation methods and associated health impacts was conducted to create a comprehensive CDI framework. Each design indicator was then calculated using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for 106 neighbourhoods in Metro Vancouver, Canada. Correlations were also evaluated between CDIs and both built environment and health measures from the My Health My Community (MHMC) survey.

RESULTS – The CDI framework was validated based on several strong correlations between objective CDIs and subjective built environment measures from the MHMC survey. Additionally, several CDIs were found to have moderate correlations with one or more health measures. In particular, there were many associations between CDIs and rates of utilitarian walking and levels of obesity.

DISCUSSION – This study has four implications for professional practice related to supporting evidence-based stakeholder engagement and decision-making, informing performance-based planning and design, measuring economic and environmental performance, and inspiring intersectoral healthy community design visions and action-oriented implementation strategies.

Also, here is my 3-minute thesis speech about this project just in case you are interested in a quick introduction:

My Three Minute Thesis (3MT)

Today I entered a speech competition at Ryerson University called Three Minute Thesis or 3MT. I was challenged to present my Masters Research Project (MRP) in 180-seconds, showing only one static slide, and without any notes or cue cards of any kind. Although I did not win, I received great feedback and I was happy to embrace the opportunity distil the key messages of my research, and try to communicate my work to an audience with no urban planning background. Here is what I can up with, as performed live today:

20 Best Maps of 2014

Happy new year! In this post I have summarized my 20 favourite mapping projects from 2014. This has been an exciting year for me! I was promoted in my role at Golder Associates, working as a GIS Analyst and Cartographer on urban and environmental planning projects; however, I resigned in august and moved to Toronto to begin my Masters in Urban and Regional Planning at Ryerson University. I have continued to produce maps for this blog in my spare time using open data and I was recently hired to create maps for Dr. Richard Florida at the U of T Martin Prosperity Institute. I already have some exciting ideas for 2015, so consider subscribing to this blog to see more cool maps in the future!

Vancouver Property Values

Metro Vancouver Commuter Challenge Trips

Comparative Study of Bicycle Infrastructure

Population Density in Metro Vancouver and Toronto

Average Home Value in Metro Vancouver

Median Income in Toronto

Visible Minority Population in Metro Vancouver and Toronto

Social Determinants of Health Research for Cowichan Valley

City of Vancouver Integrated Stormwater Management Plan Analysis

Skate Park Planning Community Consultation

Assessment of Building Permits in Toronto

Assessment of Park Accessibility in Vancouver

Analysis of Dog Licences in Toronto and Most Popular Dog Names

Community Gardening in Vancouver and the Arbutus Corridor

Street Lamp Density in the City of Vancouver

Neighbourhood Design Evaluation of Cabbagetown

Environmental Assessment for Woodfibre LNG Proposal

Environmental Assessment for BURNCO Mine Proposal

Valentines Map

Walkability Map of Vancouver

Want More? Check out my "Thirteen Best Maps of 2013"

City of Vancouver Greenest City Action Plan Review

This is a class presentation I delivered in the Masters of Urban and Regional Planning program at Ryerson University. This course is called "Planning for Sustainability" and we were instructed to provide a critical review of a municipal sustainability plan. I selected the City of Vancouver Greenest City Action Plan because I think it is an outstanding case study that uses specific goals and measurable indicators. This plan is also highly relevant to the current municipal election featuring Gregor Robertson and the Vision Vancouver Party. Thanks for your feedback!

2014 ESRI User Conference Presentation: WalkMap 1.0

Tomorrow I will present a 20 minute talk about walkability, urban design and active transportation. Here was my teaser tweet for the ESRI User Conference and click here to download my slides.

2014 BC Commuter Challenge Participation Maps

Last year, I helped BEST prepare some maps showing participation in their BC Commuter Challenge, and this year I was asked to help out again. Below are some maps I volunteered to create using the trip data for over 3,000 participants from over 250 companies in Metro Vancouver. Enjoy!

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