Decolonizing “Greenspace” and the “Equitable City” Paradigm: Emphasizing ‘Subjectivity’ to Support Inclusionary Design Interventions and Health Justice for Black and Brown Bodies

In light of recent calls to action for substantial anti-racist public design and planning across and beyond the United States that seek to honour and commemorate the televised execution of George Floyd in a Minneapolis high traffic bike lane, Toronto is in the midst of a unique time. As Canada’s largest hub containing Black groups, structural challenges to pursue these social justice agendas are presented in the consistent intensification of already increasingly urban settings. As such, existing trends of public health in public space vary dramatically on the bases of race and class, and, for those living in poorer neighbourhoods, resulting conditions of where you live and what resources are accessible can further exacerbate challenges to obtaining moderate-to-high quality of life. This paper aims to contribute to a growing critical, concerted, and transparent analysis about the complex role of multiple institutions of power in perpetuating a systemic and multidimensional practice of racism that sustains unprecedented levels of anxiety in our communities that have been historically informed - worse, those who need it most are routinely without access to resources that may improve health conditions, including greenspace. Drawing from interconnected trends of disparity and multidisciplinary frameworks, I explore the role of racism in influencing the perceptions and usage patterns of people who experience the gaps in “space” and “place” because of their black and brown bodies. By including lived experiences as a fundamental substantiation of disparity, the importance of quality over quantity in public spaces is emphasized, particularly those which are purpose-built and collaboratively designed by communities themselves to address the complex problems of these groups. This research proves significant to planners designing our post-COVID urban environments who hope to avoid the many mistakes of the past that have proven to worsen health and wellbeing conditions for vulnerable people during the pandemic, where untapped potential is claimed to be manifest in greenspace.