Cultural Greenspaces: Synthesizing Knowledge and Experience in Nova Scotia’s African-Canadian Communities through Participatory Research and SoftGIS

Greenspaces are integral components of communities and provide numerous benefits. However, human development threatens these spaces, particularly in color where histories racial injustice persist environmental vulnerabilities remain. A step towards preventing the loss important cultural greenspaces is documenting knowledge experience. This research employed community-based participatory techniques to study relationship between landscape African-Canadian around Preston, Nova Scotia, oldest largest Canada. Community-directed meetings created collaborative-based about perceptions surrounding land use change while identifying valued greenspaces. paper studies relationships community’s benefits psychological, social, physical aspects wellbeing. operationalized through a public participation geographic information system (PPGIS), SoftGIS, which activates greenspace–human wellbeing interaction its map-based survey data collection. Results indicate residents predominately visited near church or community center for social interact with neighbors friends, cookout, bring children outside. contributes greater understanding Preston area’s greenspace identification qualification, resident behavior, perspectives inform strategies goals engaging government agencies policy planning. illustrates frameworks improving building capacity promoting equity within urbanization process other communities.