Abstract Manager

This presentation proposes to discuss the opportunities and challenges of using innovative technologies to understand behaviors in urban spaces. The study presented was undertaken on behalf of the Botanical Garden operated by the City of Montreal to understand visitors and employees' pedestrian movements within the Garden in order to inform the future masterplan of the Botanical Garden. The data collected helped identify conflict areas between pedestrians and vehicles, and mitigate for these by adjusting the hierarchy and planning of the visitor network in the Botanical Garden.

In this study, 200 GPS chips were deployed, with 37 distributed to employees of the Botanical Garden. Data collection was conducted from July 5th to July 15th, during the peak visiting period of the visitor attraction. A total of 1187 trips were collected over the course of the study period. Around 2,732 out of 21,781 visitors participated in the study, representing approximately 12% of total visitors to the garden. In terms of visitor participation, chips were distributed on a voluntary basis and the data was anonymized. Visitors willing to participate had to fill a survey (the survey aimed to gather visitor characteristics), carry the GPS chip during the visit and return it at the exit. The GPS chips distributed to employees were primarily carried by employees with vehicles. They were in operation continuously from July 5th to July 15th.

The data collected was analyzed and mapped using GIS and the maps showing the visitors' journey and pedestrian movement were put together to inform the different departments of the Botanical Garden.

The use of GPS chips in this study provided a unique and in-depth understanding of visitor behavior and movement patterns within the garden. The presentation proposes to explore the role of innovative data collection methodologies to inform visitor attractions and prioritze the pedestrian safety and visitor experience in outdoor recreational sites. It will then describe the project methodology, challenges faced along the journey and successes recorded with the technology retained. This can provide lessons learnt for other municipalities and recreational sites interested in learning about pedestrian behaviours in their environment.