Research Agenda: Summary of Proposed Research

Infrastructure in York Region: A GIS Analysis of Human Services

Canadian population growth is concentrated in the suburban areas of large cities that are often poorly equipped to serve their rapidly increasing and diversifying populations. A low density and car-oriented environment in which residential and nonresidential land uses are strictly separated and infrastructure is limited accentuates accessibility problems for many newcomers, seniors, and the poor. We propose to investigate the availability of essential infrastructure, human services, to rapidly increasing vulnerable populations in Canadian suburbs by a case study of York Region. Situated north of Toronto, York Region is an archetypal suburban area where the population increased from 169,000 in 1971 to 867,000 today and is estimated to grow to 1,280,000 by 2026. Immigration propels this growth and seniors and low-income households are growing proportions of the population.

The proposed research addresses the infrastructure needs that have arisen during the region’s rapid transition from a low-density, ethnically and socially homogeneous suburban region to a diverse, rapidly intensifying suburb. We will use geographic information systems (GIS) to develop an inventory of human services in York Region, assess their availability to selected vulnerable populations, and identify gaps in service provision that could be addressed by improvements in transportation and service infrastructure. Our analysis will include all human services defined in York Region’s Human Services Strategy as “those services and programs that support a safe, healthy community and maintain and promote its quality of life” . This definition is broad and inclusive – recognizing the interdependent nature of human services.

Our approach to this research is guided by the growing literature that recognizes the crucial influence of infrastructure, services and facilities that have public benefits, on social wellbeing and economic growth. Equitable access to infrastructure is essential to ensure social inclusion for all groups in Canadian society, particularly the most vulnerable; recent immigrants, seniors, and the poor. Our concept of infrastructure has evolved beyond the traditional categories of physical infrastructure public health infrastructure, and amenities to include knowledge-based infrastructure – the tangible and intangible facilities and services that promote the distribution and dissemination of knowledge. The proposed GIS will contribute to knowledge-based infrastructure as a tool for policy and planning purposes that can be used to examine the social impacts of changes in infrastructure intended to respond to the rapidly evolving social and economic geography of suburban areas.

This research study results from a partnership between the York Region Human Services Planning Coalition (HSPC) and a multidisciplinary team of researchers from York University and Ryerson University, HSPC sectoral representatives, and three other partners with longstanding interest and expertise in infrastructure needs in Canadian cities: IRIS, CERIS, and the Laidlaw Foundation. The partnership unites academic expertise with practical knowledge of service needs and service delivery challenges under a governance structure that allows for equitable and effective participation by all members. The partnership has already identified four key topics: economic participation and employment, education, housing, and settlement services that will be examined by compiling a database of relevant services, estimating demand for services by analysis of census information and a survey of immigrants, seniors and the poor, and evaluating the accessibility of services for each population.

Knowledge transfer was the driving force behind forming the partnership. The community partners will receive regular reports of research findings that will assist them in understanding infrastructure needs and improving planning and policy formation. The proposed research will facilitate development of services that will enhance the wellbeing of vulnerable groups in York Region and it will provide badly needed and valuable information for local governments and service providers in other suburban locations.

Download the Research Summary document.