Exploring pathways and barriers to wellbeing for racialized communities in public greenspaces: a photovoice study in Toronto, Canada

The presumption that all people experience greenspaces in the same ways and accrue universally positive impacts on health may inadvertently perpetuate social, environmental, and health inequities and uphold systemic barriers to wellbeing. The Park Perceptions and Racialized Realities project explores the experiences of racialized people in public urban greenspaces within a racially diverse Canadian city. This paper focuses on their perceptions of the relationship between greenspace and wellbeing, including barriers and pathways. This qualitative, community-based participatory action research took place in two underserved Toronto neighbourhoods in collaboration with local community organizations. Residents who self-identified as racialized took part in a photovoice project adapted to the online context. Participants visited public urban greenspaces, took photographs and videos in response to prompts and participated in follow-up semi-structured reflective interviews. A collaborative, participatory analysis of the visual and textual data was facilitated with participants to inductively identify key themes from the data, followed by an in-depth thematic analysis of the interviews. Over the course of more than 35 greenspace visits, 18 racialized residents captured over 200 photographs and videos and described public urban greenspaces as essential to their physical, mental, and social wellbeing. However, they also described numerous barriers that hindered positive experiences that could support their health. We situate nine key themes within dimensions of wellbeing to posit an aspirational conceptual diagram, encompassing (1) themes of mental wellbeing (relaxation, nature connection, and extension of home), (2) themes of physical wellbeing (solo activities, group activities, and active transport) and (3) themes of social wellbeing (socializing, belonging, and social capital). We also identify social and structural barriers that hinder these pathways to wellbeing and the salutary effects of greenspaces for racialized communities. The diagram is contextualized within the social, structural, and ecological/ environmental determinants of health. The findings and diagram highlight how a public health approach to equitable environments must attend to intersectional experiences and systemic marginalization. The study contributes insights into the ways that public urban greenspaces may facilitate wellbeing for racialized residents and the barriers to these pathways to support public health professionals, planners, and municipalities to center equity in health-promoting greenspace design, policy, and practice.