Accessibility Analysis and Mapping at the University of British Columbia

In a university setting, campus navigation is a foundational part of seizing opportunities, networking with other scholars, and having an all-around positive student experience. Yet, inaccessible features of an urban landscape (like stairs, rough terrain, or steep slopes) often leave mobility-limited individuals at a great disadvantage or cut off from certain opportunities.

The accessibility analysis and mapping project (AAMP) is geared to try and answer what and where barriers to wheelchair accessibility exist on the UBC campus. To do this, (1) two cost paths for accessible and inaccessible terrain were calculated and compared to identify barriers to accessibility, (2) a least-cost path analysis is conducted to test if wheelchair routes are statistically longer than walking routes, and (3) a wayfinding map geared toward wheelchair users is created with the intention of increasing campus navigation equity and as a visualization for urban planners to see where campus accessibility improvements need to be made.