The Stakeholders Walkability/Wheelability and Audit in Neighbourhoods through a Climate Lens (SWAN–Climate)

The Stakeholders Walkability/Wheelability and Audit in Neighbourhoods through a Climate Lens (SWAN–Climate) study will examine how extreme heat affects neighbourhood walking and mobility among older adults and people with disabilities living in heat-vulnerable communities. Focusing on the Greater Manchester leg of a broader international project also underway in Metro Vancouver, the study will investigate three key questions: how barriers, facilitators, and coping strategies influence neighbourhood walking; how subjective thermal comfort varies along walking routes and relates to local microclimate and built environment characteristics; and how individuals modify their mobility patterns, route choices, and activity timing in response to heat exposure. Building on the existing Mobility, Access and Participation (MAP) SWAN project, SWAN–Climate adds a climate resilience lens to better understand how neighbourhood design features such as shade, vegetation, and access to cooling spaces support mobility, comfort, and participation in community life. The study will use walk-along interviews, environmental audits, temperature and humidity monitoring, and photo elicitation to capture real-time experiences and perceptions of heat. The findings will benefit the University of Manchester and Simon Fraser University by strengthening their research partnership and generating evidence to inform equitable, age-friendly, and climate-resilient urban planning and policy.

Faculty Supervisor:

Atiya Mahmood

Student:

Partner:

University of Manchester

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program: