Coordinated by the Canada Research Chair in Architecture, Competition and Quality at the Université de Montréal (Prof. Jean-Pierre Chupin), this project has received $412,000 in funding from the SSHRC’s INSIGHT programme (2026–2031). The interdisciplinary approach brings together researchers in interior design from the University of Montreal (Dr Olivier Vallerand, Prof. Carmela Cucuzzella), in landscape architecture from the University of Toronto (Prof. Rob M. Wright) and in urban planning from Toronto Metropolitan University (Dr Samantha Biglieri).
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Abstract
It is now clear that not all public buildings will be accessible by 2040, despite the adoption of the Canadian Accessibility Act (SC 2019, ch.10). By perpetuating barriers that effectively exclude people with disabilities, these spaces cannot fulfil their ‘public’ role.
In contrast to the progress made in environmental and sustainability issues, the lack of understanding of the spatial implications of experiences related to disability and special needs remains a major obstacle to educational, practical and policy responses across all disciplines of the built environment. Our previous research has demonstrated how awards for excellence and competitions influence definitions of quality in architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and urban planning.
We hypothesise that competitions and awards still reflect cultural and behavioural biases and do not meet the requirements of the Accessibility Act. Representations of users remain rooted in a worldview where the human body is idealised and standardised by simplistic images from which neurodiversity is conspicuously absent. We propose to make these ideological and procedural barriers explicit by theorising them through a series of comparative analyses of competition entries and awards for excellence in the Canadian context.
Using two databases compiled by our team (the Canadian Competition Catalogue and ArchiQualiData), the research focuses on around forty examples of public spaces at various scales identified within Canadian institutions, such as: cultural buildings, libraries, sports centres, state schools, public parks and civic centres. Paradoxically, these contexts raise questions of accessibility to varying degrees, even though they meet the requirements of current norms and standards. The research involves a qualitative comparative analysis of the projects and theoretical frameworks, as well as an inventory of educational approaches and shortcomings, and the collection of experiences reported by a reference group across four key areas:
- Axis 1 (POLICIES) – The issue of accessibility standards as benchmarks for access (Coordinated by Jean-Pierre Chupin and Samantha Biglieri)
- Axis 2 (THEORIES) – Rethinking representations and concepts of accessibility through the lens of inclusive quality (Coordinated by Olivier Vallerand and Jean-Pierre Chupin)
- Axis 3 (METHODS) – Improving methods for assessing and measuring inclusive quality through lived experience. (Coordinated by Samantha Biglieri and Olivier Vallerand)
- Axis 4 (PEDAGOGIES) – Awareness-raising and academic training on behavioural barriers and the social value of barrier-free environments (Coordinated by Professors Carmela Cucuzzella and Rob Wright)
To address this complex phenomenon, the team combines multidisciplinary expertise in the fields of architectural theory, design thinking, gender and queer studies, urban studies and landscape research. Our team has gained international recognition for its work on competitions and awards for excellence. Two grants from the Canada Foundation for Innovation have enabled the establishment of digital documentation infrastructure that will be used for the comparative and qualitative cross-referencing of specialized data available via open access.
This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the limitations of accessibility norms, standards and policies. It calls for greater awareness in the education of designers, in the training of civil servants responsible for public procurement, and, more generally, in raising awareness among members of competition and award juries across all areas of the built environment.
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For more information:
Public Exclusions: Understanding and Addressing the Inaccessibility of Public Buildings and Places in the Canadian Context
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada INSIGHT Grant (#435-2026-1072):
- Jean-Pierre Chupin, Chaire de recherche du Canada en architecture, concours et qualité
- Samantha Biglieri
- Olivier Vallerand
- Carmela Cucuzzella
- Rob M. Wright
