World of Cities: Journeys through Urban Space and Time
Field Observation Report
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World of Cities: Journeys through Urban Space and Time
Field Observation Report
Background Information
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affected has affected the globe in unprecedented ways. The social, economic, political, and cultural aspects of communities have been altered in ways that have never been seen. No past pandemic saw the level of the global shutdown that was seen in this one. World cities have been affected in different ways and scales. One of the characteristics of the present pandemic is that the disease is passed from one individual to another through respiratory droplets and contact routes. Experts suggested that one of the best and most effective ways to fight the disease is to limit human interactions as much as possible. That reality was invariably going to affect the cities adversely. To reduce human interactions, countries came up with varying strategies. One of the strategies was to impose lockdowns on cities so that people could only move within limited geographical boundaries. Most people were advised to work from home and only move away from home when it was necessary and unavoidable. Toronto is one of the busiest cities in Canada, and when the measures to contain the virus were imposed, the city was affected in various ways. As early as in March, the city of Toronto started implementing a wide range of measures that were aimed at controlling the virus. One of the measures was to require non-essential business organizations to close, and to those that were allowed to remain open, they would have to limit the number of clients that visited their premises. In recent weeks, the city of Toronto has slowly been returning to normalcy, but the authorities still insist that people who dwell or work in Toronto must adhere to the measures that have been established to contain the virus. On Wednesday, October 7, 2020, I made a visit to Toronto. The purpose of my visit was to assess the extent to which the pandemic had affected transformed or impacted Toronto and its residents. In my visit, I used my senses of smell and sight to smell and see how the city has changed in response to the pandemic. The purpose of this paper is to present a report for my visit and observation of the city of Toronto in the face of the current global pandemic.
The selected area of visit in Toronto
The visit was focused on downtown Toronto. The reason for the selection of Downtown Toronto is because today, this region acts as the main business district of the city. The second reason for visiting Downtown Ontario is because it is a multicultural region. Before the pandemic, if one walked in the region, it was possible to meet people from a wide range of racial backgrounds and, as such, making observations of Downtown Toronto amidst the pandemic. Downtown Toronto runs from Bloor Street in the northeast, Dupont Street to the northwest, and Bathurst Street to the west. Besides, the region has Lake Ontario lying on the south and the Don Valley being on the east. On the day I made the visit, I spent close to eight hours in the city watching people, activities, interactions, and smelling the air. The time I spent in Downtown Toronto was sufficient to help me get information on the extent to which Toronto had been transformed by the pandemic.
Diversity
Even in the midst of the pandemic, the impressive diversity of Toronto was evident. An examination of the people who were moving and carrying out their businesses in the region revealed that Toronto has an impressive diversity of humanity. People from a wide range of racial backgrounds move and conduct their activities freely in the city. During the visit, I could see blacks, whites, Chinese, and Latino populations. From the observation, it was evident that there was no element of racial tension that characterizes some cities in the world. In some places, people from diverse racial backgrounds may live together, but the tensions among the groups may be palpable.
While appreciating the nature of racial diversity in Toronto, one observation that I made was the burgeoning numbers of street families and youths. Instructively, the pandemic caused the loss of income to many individuals and families. Thus, it was expected that many individuals and families would struggle to afford their lives. The presence of a fairly large number of families in the streets, thus, is an indication of the economic difficulties that many people are facing. Be that as it may, one thing that was surprising was the racial composition of the street families. It was evident that people from racial minorities such as blacks and the Chinese were the majority in the streets.
This reality indicates that while Toronto is a significantly diverse city, structural racism that dictates economic income distribution is still prominent in the region. The fact that some racial groups appear to be more affected by poverty than other racial groups is always a demonstration of structural racism (Haderman et al., 2016). When one wants to look at the nature of racial relations in society, perhaps the first place to look at is the lowest income households in a region. When it appears that there are specific racial groups that are hit harder by poverty than other groups, one would be justified to think that structural racism is a significant challenge in the region. Ordinarily, in a society that is racially diverse, and racism is not a problem when economic difficulties arise, groups will be hit in almost equal measure.
Accessibility
Traveling in Downtown Toronto is very easy and affordable. The public transport in the region is dominated by buses, subways, and streetcars. I managed to use a public bus, and I found it to be affordable and effective. There are no policies or rules that prevent any group of people from using buses. When one gets into any public transport facility, it will be easy for one to feel free even if they are strangers in the city because of the diversity.
Security
Downtown Toronto is safe and secure. There is a significant presence of uniformed law enforcement officers in the region. The presence of uniformed officers patrolling the streets is an assurance that the state of security is great. One thing with security is that it is attached to the feelings of an individual. An individual needs to feel safe so that they may enjoy living in a region. As I walked in Downtown Toronto and as I saw and met uniformed officers at the turn of each street, I felt safe. However, one other aspect of my interactions in the city that made me feel safe was the hospitality of the people. Most of the people who I met were friendly, and we freely engaged in conversations. The hospitality of a people, especially to strangers, makes other people feel wanted, safe, and secure. There are people who are naturally hostile and inhospitable. It is very difficult to live among these kinds of people, more so if one comes from cultures that are hospitable. However, an engagement with a wide range of people in the streets demonstrates that the residents of Toronto are hospitable, and one will feel safe being amidst them. At no single time did I feel under any threat whatsoever in the streets.
Green Spaces
Downtown Toronto does have several green spaces that are open to all members of the public. There are many benefits that communities may derive from the presence of green spaces. Apart from contributing to the building of social relations among community members, green space also have essential health benefits. Cole et al. (2019) indicate that the presence of green space contributes to the enhancement of mood, immune function, and general psychological function. Thus, it is not surprising that there are several green spaces in Downtown Toronto. St. James Park, Cloud Gardens, and Toronto Music Garden are some of the green spaces that I visited. From the information that I gathered, most of the green spaces are accessible to both the residents and visitors, although some fees may be charged to those who may want to use some of the facilities in the green spaces.
Environmental Issues
One of the major environmental issues that I witnessed was the high number of motor vehicles in the region. The concentration of motor vehicles in a region means there is a concentration of harmful gases produced by the motor vehicles. Apart from motor vehicles, emissions of industrial waste are also a significant challenge for the city. Additionally, while it is notable that the management of the city has made significant efforts to make the city clean, there is evidence that waste management is still a significant challenge. It was not rare to find heaps of waste in waste disposal bags in some corners of the city. Addressing some of these challenges will play an important role in making sure that the city improves its environmental health.
Social Location
My experience in the visit to Downtown Toronto enabled me to see things that I had never seen in the city. Many times that o have visited the city, I was never keen enough to see some of the things that I saw during this visit. For example, I had never taken note of the hospitality of the residents of Toronto. My experience during this visit has enhanced my personal connection with the city. I feel attracted to the city, and I think I will continue visiting the city to gain new experiences.
References
Cole, H. V., Triguero-Mas, M., Connolly, J. J., & Anguelovski, I. (2019). Determining the health benefits of green space: Does gentrification matter?. Health & place, 57, 1-11.
Hardeman, R. R., Medina, E. M., & Kozhimannil, K. B. (2016). Structural racism and supporting black lives—the role of health professionals. New England Journal of Medicine, 375(22), 2113-2115.