Participatory Mapping

Accessibility mapping research where participants can translate their lived experiences into spatial evidence for action

What is Participatory Mapping?

Participatory mapping is a method of research that creates a collaborative map between researchers and people from specific groups and/or communities. These maps highlight alternative knowledges, perspectives, and experiences that are unique and valuable to these groups. Through these collaborations, we develop conceptual frameworks for understanding spatial accessibility for people with disabilities and neurodivergance, and also compile tangible evidence for possible approaches towards more inclusive infrastructures.

Student sitting outside on a stairwell with a laptop, face mask, and headphones

Campus Accessible Mapping Project (CAMP)

Our CAMP research identifies physical and sensory barriers that people with disabilities and neurodivergence experience in their day-to-day interactions with the built environment. This research utilizes focus groups engaging with user-friendly participatory mapping software as well as tactile, open-ended materials that enable participants to more freely communicate their experiences.

Electric platform lift at building staircase for wheelchair users and people with limited mobility

Mapping Our Cities For All (MOCA)

In 2022, UCalgary and AccessNow launched the Mapping Our Cities For All (MOCA) project, Canada’s largest accessibility mapping initiative, mobilizing 40+ mappers—many with disabilities—to survey 14,000+ buildings across Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, and 17 Alberta locations. Findings show less than half of the buildings are fully accessible.

Explore the Map

GIS maps of the cities used for this study with measurability indicators of accessibility

Mapping Our Cities for All: A participatory baseline of business accessibility in Canada

Our publication in Canadian Geographies (2026) about the methodolgy we used for establishing a baseline for tracking progress toward a barrier-free Canada

Open Access Article

An image of the title page of the technical report

MOCA Techical Report

The technical report we created with AccessNow, which details our work, our findings, and our recommendations for increased accessibility.

Full Report (en) | Full Report (fr)

Academic Journal Publications and Conference Proceedings

Fast, V. (2024). GIScience I: The rise, fragmentation, and future of VGI. Progress in Human Geography, 48(6), 922-933. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/03091325241277834

Bishop, A., Fast, V., Nelson, T., & Laberee, K. (2023). Crowdsourcing the pedestrian experience: Who’s represented in the data? Proceedings of the 8th Conference on Spatial Knowledge & Information Canada, Short Paper 8. https://skiconference.ca/2023/papers/SKI2023_paper_08.pdf

Lamoureux, Z., & Fast, V. (2019). The Tools of Citizen Science: An evaluation of map-based crowdsourcing platforms. Proceedings of the 7th Conference on Spatial Knowledge & Information Canada, 7(4), 1. https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2323/SKI-Canada-2019-7-4-1.pdf

Book Chapters

Fast, V., Haworth, B.T. (2020). Citizen Science. In Kobayashi, A. (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, 2nd edition. vol. 2, Elsevier, pp. 209–214, doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102295-5.10601-8