Melfa Road Walk N’ Roll Tactical Urbanism Interventions for Improving Road Safety and Nature Connections

The objective of the Melfa Road Project (MRP) is to address inadequacies in street safety in East Acadia neighbourhood while incorporating community ideas for enhancing biodiversity, fostering environmental education, and promoting connections to nature for children. The MRP inventories all classes of land-use, soft landscapes, canopy cover, and above ground-infrastructure features. Metric outputs show that 52% of land-use types is public land, 18% is residential, 2% is institutional, 66% of soft landscapes are lawns, 22% is wild greenery, and11% are planting beds. There are 101 trees in the study site, 64% of which are deciduous, and the rest is coniferous, which encompasses a total canopy cover of 13.5%. Through a site assessment and QGIS analysis, the MRP examines overarching problems associated with Melfa Road, such as lack of street safety signs, unsuitable placement of garbage dumps, and underutilised parking lots. Through an extensive literature review we suggest opportunities for tactical urbanism interventions (TUI) that adhere to UBC land-use plans and initiatives. Melfa Road is heavily depended on by students, children, and families and is trafficked by vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians. There is abundant greenspace accessibility for passive or active recreation, for activities such as walking, playing, bicycling, and lounging. These outdoor areas provide a moment for relaxation but missed opportunities in past designs along with the placement of current roads and parking lots creates a barrier to these beneficial activities. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”Forestry, Faculty ofUnreviewedUndergraduat