Grant: Canada Research Chairs

As human beings, almost everyone will temporarily or permanently experience disability at some point in their life. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), over 1 billion people currently experience disability around the world. In Canada, an estimated one-fifth of Canadians aged 15 and over (representing 6.2 million people) have one or more disabilities and this number is increasing due in part to population aging and an increase in the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases. Mobility is a major contributor to the health and social participation of PWD. However, PWD continue to face diverse physical, architectural, technological, or social barriers that hinder full and equal participation in society. Unfortunately, the traditional design of urban environments, including infrastructure, built environment, and services offered to the population, is based largely on a standard perception of an independent, fully functional citizen without disability, which greatly limits the mobility and social participation of PWD and their families. Advances in geospatial data science and technologies (e.g. geographic information systems, GNSS, Lidar, drones, internet of things (IoT), smartphones, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, digital twins, metaverse, etc.) create tremendous opportunities to help to design and develop more accessible environments and services for PWD. Within such context, Dr. Mostafavi’s CRC in senseable cities for empowered mobility aims to contribute to the development of new theories, methods, and tools to help citizens especially those with disabilities and the aging population, in their mobility in urban environments. A comprehensive mobility solution will be studied by considering a broader range of human-environment-technology interactions within an innovative ecosystemic framework. Within this forward-thinking vision, mobility will be considered in its various forms with or without a technical aid such as a cane, walker, wheelchair, scooter, etc. Furthermore, Dr. Mostafavi will address these issues for a broad range of deficits, whether these be physical, sensory, cognitive, or intellectual for people of all ages. By leveraging the latest advancement in the field of geospatial data science and technologies, the CRC will ultimately contribute to the development of more accessible and liveable cities through a strong engagement of partners and user communities.