›› Sarah Murray, NPNA
Summer has finally arrived in Victoria, and with it the heat warnings and hot days are changing how we spend time in our homes, our workplaces, and our neighbourhoods. Two online resources were unveiled this year about the impacts of heat islands on the neighbourhood level.
One of the resources from healthyplan.city/en uses two data sets to determine an “equity priority” for a City. By selecting “heat islands” and “low income individuals” we see that Victoria’s northern neighbourhoods have the highest equity priority within the City.
Another resource created by the CBC seeks to answer the question: “who lives in your city’s worst heat islands”. Using North Park’s postal code, we learn that North Park is hotter and has less vegetation than 94% of the area, and that the median income in North Park neighbourhood ($28,653) is lower than in 100% of the area.
These tools help visualize needs at the neighbourhood level, and can be used by municipalities to guide park acquisition, food security initiatives, program delivery, opportunities for recreation, and more.
There is also work being done at the community level to develop evidence based, equity focused recommendations. The NPNA has paired up with the University of Victoria to undertake a community Needs Assessment. Our goal is to increase understanding of how residents would like to use their community, and identify what’s here, what’s missing, and what’s desired. We are seeking interview participants if you would like to share your thoughts! https://npna.ca/parks-community-amenities/.
There is also a heatwave study being conducted by University of Victoria student Riley Sondergaard. The study will result in a map and recommendations for future developments. If you would like to participate, please join us at 1025 Mason Street on August 27, from 12-3pm.
To learn more about what’s going on in North Park and to sign up for our newsletter please visit our website (https://npna.ca/newsletters/) or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @WeAreNorthPark.
