Are all streets created equal? Measuring the differences in the built environment among streets with various socioeconomic characteristics in Montréal, Canada

Abstract

Streets play an important role in shaping urban landscapes and sustaining city life. Through streetscape design, cities can foster vibrant and inclusive neighborhoods that cater to the diverse needs of their residents. Our research aims to determine whether variations at the microscale level of the built environment exist among streets of similar typologies across diverse socioeconomic neighborhoods in Montréal, QC, Canada. The short version of the Microscale Audit of Pedestrian Streetscapes (MAPS-Mini) tool was used to assess microscale features essential for creating high-quality built environments. Assessments were conducted using Google Street View and in-person site visits to ensure a comprehensive analysis of the tool’s effectiveness across different methodologies and urban contexts. Results show significant disparities in the quality of the built environment across various socioeconomic neighborhoods. Despite having identical typologies and characteristics, streets in lower-income areas generally exhibit poorer built environment quality, highlighting that streets are not always created equal in Montréal. This trend is particularly evident in medium and high-density neighborhoods. Less than a third of the audited streets were deemed to have high-quality built environments. This paper can be of value to practitioners working towards addressing disparities in the built environment to create equitable, healthy, and livable communities.