Practices and inspiration for sustainable transportation equity: Case studies from Canadian cities

Abstract

Over one million Canadians are living in transport poverty, where their ability to access vital opportunities is limited by inadequate, unsafe, or unaffordable transportation options. Injustices in our transportation systems— built over time by inequitable planning and practice—stand in the way of people’s access to jobs, education, healthcare, and social activities, ultimately impacting their health, well-being, and quality of life. City builders are recognizing that the way transportation has been planned, designed, and delivered is unfair and needs to change. At the same time, governments are ramping up investments in sustainable transportation infrastructure and putting equity on their policy agendas. Cities have an opportunity to build transportation systems that work for everyone, but how can equity be actioned on the ground?

Tune in to a lively presentation on promising practices for realizing transportation equity in Canadian cities and join the conversation on the pivotal role of public health practitioners in moving equity from rhetoric to reality.

This webinar will explore findings from INTERACT’s new report, “Practices and Inspiration for Sustainable Transportation Equity: Case Studies from Canadian Cities”. Developed in collaboration with LevelUp Planning and transportation and equity professionals from across Canada, the report assembles practical guidance on ways cities can embed equity in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of transportation interventions. Join us as we delve deeper into key insights from the report, including what transportation equity really means, takeaways for municipal policymaking, and lessons learned from the transportation equity journeys of New Westminster, Edmonton, and Ottawa.

Speakers

Meghan Winters, PhD
Principal Investigator
Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University
CIHR/PHAC Applied Public Health Research Chair

Meghan Winters is a Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. Her research focuses on how city design impacts mobility, safety, and health, and on equity considerations within cities’ policies and plans. She and her team work with decision-makers and community groups at the intersection of health, urban planning, and transportation to generate actionable evidence and tools to shape livable, sustainable, and equitable cities.

Victoria Barr, PhD
Principal
LevelUp Planning Collaborative

Dr. Victoria Barr brings 30 years of expertise and passion as a planner and community well-being practitioner, specializing in the connections between equity and community planning. She holds a master's degree in public health and a PhD in planning and brings out the best of both fields in her practice. 

Laura Chow
Senior Planner, Healthy Environments & Climate Change
Vancouver Coastal Health

Laura Chow is a Senior Planner with Vancouver Coastal Health’s Healthy Environments & Climate Change team. She brings an environmental population health lens to her work to inform policy and planning development and decision-making. Areas of interest include the health co-benefits associated with healthy community design, transportation, and climate change.