REA
SAHI

• How does social cohesion in urban green spaces influence community health outcomes?
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• What roles do green and blue spaces play in the cognitive development of youth in urban environments? How effective is limiting wifi/designated digital-free zones in reducing mental strain of urban residents?

• Immersive engagement with nature is associated with physical and mental health benefits but sometimes these places are difficult to access or not suited to community needs. How can we help urban communities plan/advocate for parks that meet their preferences and needs in order to create accessible natural spaces they will want to use?
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• Marginalized communities face barriers to accessing and benefiting from urban green spaces, impacting their well-being.
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• What barriers do Torontonians encounter when accessing urban greenspaces?

Current U of T St. George students from diverse years, faculties, programs, and living situations, such as commuters and residents, student who frequent and infrequently visit green spaces. Exclusions: non-UofT students.

Interviews will occur one-on-one over Zoom. We will take notes either by hand or by typing on our computer.  

"Thank you for participating in this study on University of Toronto (UofT) students' experiences with campus greenspaces. The purpose of this interview is to better understand how to design a UofT greenspace-finding tool that helps students locate and access campus greenspaces that meet their needs. Through these interviews, we are exploring the factors that encourage or prevent students from using these spaces. The goal of these interviews is to learn about your experiences with accessing these spaces and to identify potential barriers that may prevent students from fully benefiting from campus green spaces.

For this study, we’ll define greenspaces as any grassy area with trees, water, or other vegetation placed in urban areas, (eg. parks, footpaths).

During this interview, I will ask you several questions related to your experiences around using greenspaces on campus. If at any point you feel like you don’t want to discuss any question, we can skip it and move on to the other questions.

The entire interview should take approximately 15 minutes. If you agree, we would like to take notes so we have a record of your answers. Only our research team will have access to these records. Do you have any questions before we begin?”

Opening Question: What is your experience finding greenspaces on campus?

1. Can you talk me through a time you found a greenspace on campus?

2. Are there challenges you encounter when looking for these natural spaces?

3. How do you usually use campus greenspaces?
When do you typically visit?  What do you typically do there?
Are there any challenges you encounter when using these spaces?

4. What’s your favourite greenspace on campus? Why?

5. What would motivate you to visit greenspaces on campus?