What makes a quality route?

This university project puts the city of Toronto as the site of investigation. It is a study of the city’s physical form and its relationship to infrastructural systems, natural systems, and other aspects of the built environment. My thesis statement addresses the suggested routes generated by google maps which is concerned with time efficiency but lacks the quality component of a walk. For this project I have done primary and secondary research, by going to the site itself and following the suggested routes provided by google maps, as well as to find paths I consider to be quality based on factors such as shade, interaction with nature and distance from busy roads. These factors however differ seasonally since in the winter the preferred route would be the most time-efficient as heavy snow is present, whilst in the summer when weather is pleasant, the quality route may be preferred.

My study was to determine what constituted a “quality” route. I began by looking at the positioning of bus stops in the area because in first visiting the site they appeared to be very far apart. Therefore residents and workers in the area have to walk a considerable amount from or to the bus stops. In navigating through the site, the route which google maps suggested was the most time efficient but the walk was long and dull. My primary research showed that there are plenty of “quality” routes on the site but will not be suggested by google because it is not time efficiency. A “quality” route is defined by the quietness of the area as well as the amount of coverings provided by tree canopies. A solution to create more “quality” routes in the site is to implement a garden/green line (suspended pavement) between the road and the pedestrian footpath, where more trees can may be planted, providing privacy, shade, lowering noise pollution and increasing the overall quality of a walk.