Understanding the Early Years - Results of the Community Mapping Study in North York - May 2001

4. The Physical Environment

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In the research exploring community effects on children's development, the physical characteristics of neighbourhoods have received little attention. The quality of the physical environment in a community can, however, affect the health and well-being of families and children. Information on the quality of the physical environment was collected through neighbourhood observations.

The neighbourhood observations component of the Community Mapping Study was designed to assess the physical and infrastructure aspects of the community. Factors that may affect the development and behaviour of children, such as the quality of homes, street lighting conditions and traffic volume, and the presence and number of parks and amount of green space were rated.

This chapter will focus on three sets of observations: the traffic patterns, the presence of garbage or litter, and an overall rating on the physical environment scale. (Refer to Appendix D for a complete analysis of the results of the neighbourhood observations.)

Traffic patterns

How did traffic flow through North York?

Why ask this question?

A good road network and free-flowing traffic are essential for movement and access; however, if not well designed, it can have impacts on the lives of young children.

Injuries cause disruptions for children and their parents, as these injuries may require medical attention or time away from school. Greater exposure to traffic (as measured by the number of streets crossed on a child's way to and from school) has been positively correlated with injury rates in children. Traffic-related injuries have been reported to be higher for boys than girls (Macpherson, Roberts, & Pless, 1998).

Injuries, many of which may be caused by motor vehicle accidents, are one of the leading causes of death for children and youth across the country (Federal/Provincial and Territorial Advisory Committee on Population Health, 1999).

Crossing main streets or roads with high volumes of traffic can present a greater risk to children. Younger children have been reported to have higher rates of injury, even though exposure to traffic has been shown to be lower for younger children than for their older counterparts (Pless, Verreault, Arsenault, Frappier, & Stulinskas, 1987).

Injury rates are higher for children living in regions with lower socio-economic status.

Socio-economic status is also related to injury rates, with higher maternal education (12 years or more) being associated with less exposure of children to traffic and decreased rates of childhood injury (Pless, Verreault, Arsenault, Frappier, and Stulinskas, 1987). Paradoxically, low-density, single-family homes in the suburbs may require children to cross more streets, though these streets may have less traffic.

Map 14 - Where did children live in relation to traffic patterns in North York?

Traffic volume on neighbourhood roads was assessed by tracking the number of cars that passed by per minute.

In most areas, especially those with a high proportion of children, traffic volume was light. Almost three-quarters of the neighbourhoods had traffic patterns that were rated as light or very light.

• Over 16% of the neighbourhoods were rated as heavy traffic areas. Clusters of neighbourhoods throughout the community were found to have both a high proportion of children and very heavy traffic volumes. These were mostly located in the western part of the community.
• 78.4% of the streets were standard two-lane roadways. The remainder consisted of either four or more lanes (18.6%) or one-lane roads (almost 3%).
• Very few neighbourhoods (less than 5%) had streets with marked cross walks.
• Stoplights were observed in almost one-quarter of the neighbourhoods (23.5%), although very few of these neighbourhoods had more than one stoplight.
• Many of North York's children were clustered in close proximity to the Don Valley Parkway in the south and Jane Street in the west.

Traffic patterns and the Social Index

In North York, no clear pattern emerged when the distribution of traffic was examined in relation to the Social Index. In other words, areas with lower traffic volumes did not consistently have lower numbers of risk factors. However, some neighbourhoods did have both the highest volumes of traffic and the most risk factors; while other neighbourhoods had the lightest traffic volume and the fewest risk factors.

Litter

Map 15 depicts the presence of garbage, litter, or broken glass in the streets, on the sidewalks or in the yards of the neighbourhoods.

Map 15 - Which areas had the most litter present?

• Garbage and litter were found in only a small proportion of the neighbourhoods.
• Approximately two-thirds of the EAs had no signs of litter, garbage or broken glass. Most of the neighbourhoods in which little or no garbage was observed were also those with fewer proportions of children.

Putting it all together: Creating a Physical Environment Scale

Children's physical environments, including factors such as overcrowding and poor-quality housing, can have important impacts on their health and well-being. Children living in poorer environments for instance, are more likely to live in homes that are deteriorating or in need of major repairs (Ross, Scott, and Kelly, 1999).

Assessing the physical environments and characteristics of neighbourhoods is an aspect of community research that is often overlooked, partially because of the operational difficulties involved in collecting such information. A consolidated measure of the physical characteristics of neighbourhoods, based on factors that have been postulated to impact on children's outcomes, can provide useful information for communities. A scale designed to assess the overall physical environment of North York was developed using the following items:

• conditions of the buildings;
• percentage of dwellings in need of repair;
• volume of traffic on the streets or roads;
• presence of garbage, litter, or broken glass;
• noise levels;
• number of stop lights observed; and
• number of lanes in the streets.

(Refer to Appendix E for a more detailed description of how the scale was developed.)

Map 16 - What was the overall physical condition of North York neighbourhoods?

• The vast majority of neighbourhoods scored relatively well on the quality of their physical conditions. In fact, three-quarters of North York's neighbourhoods received a score or 12 or less on a scale with possible scores ranging from 6 to 24 (lower scores meant more positive characteristics).
• Close to 100 neighbourhoods, however, were rated as having the least favourable conditions (refer to areas with dark blue shading). Many of these areas also contained high proportions of children and also had high numbers of potential socio-economic risk factors.
• Two sections on the eastern side (at the northern and southern tips) scored very well on almost all of the items on the scale. These areas contained very few children and large amounts of parkland. A few similar areas can also be found scattered throughout the community.
• In the northwestern section of the community, an area with a high density of children, there were clusters of neighbourhoods that scored much poorer on most items. This was one of a small number of areas within the city in which abandoned houses were observed (map not shown) and although parks existed in the area, most of their equipment was only in fair condition.
• An additional pocket in the southern end of the city (south of Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue intersection), containing a high density of children, scored only in the moderate range on most of the physical environment items.

How can the community use this information?

• Most of North York appears to have good physical environments in which to raise children. However, problem spots may need to be assessed by the community for potential improvement. For example, where children need to cross roads to schools, pre-schools or play spaces, more cross-walks or stop lights could be added as required.
• The areas providing the least favourable conditions may require concentrated action to ensure improvements in housing quality and community services.
• Community programs, such as litter clean-up, flower boxes, and improved lighting have potential and such programs can include children. Broken windows, poor play equipment, and litter can be associated with anti-social behaviours such as graffiti and vandalism.

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