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Many municipalities are investing in cycling infrastructure; these efforts increase safety and comfort, and typically occur in central neighborhoods as they have a higher proportion of cyclists. Ho...

Policy statements and planning documents of many North American municipalities recognize the benefits of increased cycling, however, rates of bicycling for transport remain low and programming interventions have been limited and rarely rigorously evaluated. We investigate the impact of four cycling mentorship interventions based in non-cycling partner organizations on: cycling behaviour, attitudes towards cycling, and willingness to spend on bicycles and accessories. Residents, mostly newcomers to Canada, participated in 12–16 week cycling mentorship programs, involving personal support from an experienced cyclist. They were provided with safety training, bicycles, locks and helmets and publicly committed to participate in the program. 146 of the 197 participants completed entry and exit surveys. At program exit each participant cycled on average an additional 1.8 days per week to shopping (p ≤ 0.001) and an additional 1.35 days per week to work and school (p ≤ 0.001) compared to program entry. At program exit, participants were willing to spend 23% more on a bicycle and 32% more (p The programs were effective in increasing cycling for transport regardless of the distance people lived from their respective central business district. These results are promising and suggest that with sufficient support people will bicycle in neighbourhoods throughout the region. Increased availability of cycling infrastructure would likely increase confidence in finding a safe route and improve these results.

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Bike lane projects on retail streets have proved contentious among merchant associations in North America, especially when they reduce on-street parking. A...

This study synthesizes academic social psychological behaviour change literature with reports on the practical, community-based application of cycling programs. We identify the combination of psychological tools demonstrated to lead to changes in behaviour in the target population. We compare these tools with reports demonstrating evidence for success from monitored programs to encourage cycling adoption. Based on the alignment between these two literatures, we developed an adaptable, evidenced-based strategy for program developers to most effectively accelerate the adoption of cycling for transportation in areas where physical barriers are few. A brief case study affirms the effectiveness of this approach.

For more than four decades, behavioral intervention programs informed by psychology have been employed to increase pro-environmental behaviors. However, there has been little evidence for the post-intervention durability of target behaviors. The few studies that have conducted such evaluations have found that improvements often return to baseline levels post-intervention. This study evaluated the durability of home energy conservation behaviors before, during, and after a community based multi-technique intervention program, and examined the relationship between behavioral durability and the perceived importance, convenience and family norms of each behavior, as well as generalized pro-conservation decision making. The results show increased frequency in target behaviors that remain elevated seven months post-intervention. While the reported generalization of pro-conservation decision-making consistently increased during the study, perceived importance, convenience, and family norms of target conservation behaviors were largely unaffected. In addition, the few significant alterations in these perceptions were found to be due to increases during the post-intervention period only, indicating that they are not necessary pre-requisites for durable behavior change. These results show that a well designed community based intervention can have direct impacts on target behaviors that persist beyond its termination.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the barriers to the implementation of energy efficiency projects in Canadian universities, including access to capital, bounded rationality, hidden costs, imperfect information, risk and split incentives. Methods to address these barriers are investigated, including evaluating the efficacy of revolving funds. Design/methodology/approach – Senior administrators of 15 Canadian universities were interviewed, making use of both structured and open-ended questions. As university executives and senior technical directors are responsible for investment in energy efficiency at Canadian universities, these individuals were the focus of our study. Findings – The results offer a curious contradiction. While “Access to Capital” was found to be the largest barrier to energy efficiency in Canadian universities, and while respondents agreed that green revolving funds are both an effective method to address these capital funding constraints, and may be an effective method to implement energy conservation projects at their university, only 2 out of the 15 universities interviewed and 7 out of the 98 universities in Canada currently make use of a green revolving fund. A general reluctance at Canadian universities to formalize processes to prioritize energy efficiency limits the associated benefits of mechanisms such as revolving funds to institutionalize energy efficiency and reduce long-term energy use. Practical implications – To provide insights into barriers to energy efficiency in universities and methods to address them, including the efficacy of revolving funds. Originality/value – This research is one of the first to investigate the efficacy of revolving funds to confront barriers to energy efficiency. The findings, implications and recommendations are valuable to organizations, university administrators, researchers and practitioners implementing energy efficiency measures.

We investigated the potential adoption of an interruption management technology.Almost all participants stated that it was important to have focused time at work.Participants felt their colleagues were not respectful of their focused time needs.Social norms lag behind the importance placed on uninterrupted time by individuals.Need and ease of use alone are insufficient to predict uptake for such technology. This paper explores factors that influence technology adoption in an office environment, with an emphasis on technology aimed at managing focused and collaborative work by reducing unwelcome interruptions for its users. Based on surveys, focus groups, and usability studies, our findings suggest that workplace social norms play a pivotal role in the adoption and use of interruption management technologies. Our findings display a marked lag of social norms behind the importance placed on uninterrupted time by individuals; even when individuals see the efficacy of the technology, they often misjudge their peers' attitudes, underestimating their colleagues' similar needs. In spite of high levels of perceived usefulness reported by our participants, need and ease of use alone were insufficient to predict uptake; when technology has implications for the office behavioral environment, it must be supported by social norms encouraging adoption. Our results further suggest that feedback, which actively engages a product's user, could be crucial to encouraging prolonged use and enhancing the user experience. Although the findings are drawn from a pre-commercialization study of an interruption management technology, they are broadly relevant to technology adoption cases, with special salience for those within the office context.

This paper examines two fundamental and inter-related tensions relating to environmental assessment between the desire to be proactive, promoting sustainable development and the more traditional practice of preventing harm, as well as the need to balance a predictable, expeditious and efficient process with transparency and inclusive deliberation. Proposed reforms to the environmental assessment process in Ontario, Canada, are examined as a case in point, showing how the recommendations in Ontario are consistent with international trends. In particular, over-arching principles need to be embedded in more precise sector-specific policies to enable environmental assessment processes to meet these competing goals.

For three decades, many environmental practitioners have used the information campaign as their tool of choice. Yet most simple information appeals remain ineffective and are rooted in an outdated ...

In a usability test of a pre-commercialization product designed to minimize interruptions, we examined the ease of use and intuitiveness of the product through lab testing, while also surveying test participants on their perception of interruptions in the workplace. The results suggest that despite high ratings of ease of use and tool intuitiveness, participants were uncertain about likelihood of use in the office context. This discrepancy indicates usability is perhaps a necessary but insufficient driver of adoption, and other factors, such as the establishment of a receptive context and supportive social norms, are also important considerations when predicting new technological adoptions.

Conducting a barriers analysis is an important first step when designing proenvironmental behavior change interventions. Yet, detailed information on common barriers to energy conservation campaigns remains unavailable. Using a pair of original surveys, we leverage the theory of planned behavior to report on the most important barriers for fourteen energy conservation behaviors common in university residences and offices. Our results provide key information for individuals designing community-based social marketing and other behavior change campaigns in an educational setting, particularly for energy conservation efforts. Results also provide guidance for the process of conducting effective barrier assessments.

Community-Based Research (CBR) is gaining recognition as a strategy for bridging the gaps between theory and practice and between universities and neighbouring communities. How effective is CBR and what factors have promoted and hindered its proliferation as a tool for research and capacity building? A web-based survey was conducted to investigate barriers and facilitators for CBR. CBR is hindered by the lack of resources, systemic institutional culture, and bias. Facilitators for CBR for academic and community practitioners are explored, and recommendations are presented for funders and universities to support university–community partnerships and to recognise their achievements.

Community-based research (CBR) is rapidly gaining recognitions as an important tool in addressing complex environmental, health and social problems. CBR attempts to marry community development with knowledge generation. However, little is known about the Canadian CBR context. This paper reports on the analysis of an element within a web-based survey to investigate the status of CBR in Canada. The survey included 25 questions. This paper focuses on responses to one open-ended question (Q20): ‘If there was one thing you could change about [your last CBR] project, what would it be?’ A content analysis approach guided analysis and responses were coded into main theme and subthemes. Our collective reflections offer other CBR practitioners an opportunity to more effectively plan future partnerships.

Community-Based Research (CBR) is rapidly gaining recognitions as an important tool in addressing complex environmental, health and social problems. However, little is known about the Canadian CBR context. A web-based survey including 25 questions was circulated on list-servs and via targeted e-mails to investigate the status of CBR in Canada. Univariate and bivariate statistical analyses were performed to examine variables and relationships of interest. Our sample included a cross-section of CBR community and academic practitioners (n = 308). Respondents reported a wide range of project foci, experience, operating budgets and reasons for engaging in their last CBR endeavor. Academic partners were perceived to be most involved at all stages of the research process except dissemination. Service providers were also perceived as being very involved in most stages of research. Community members were substantially less engaged. High levels of satisfaction were reported for both CBR processes and outcomes. Respondents reported a number of positive outcomes as a result of their research endeavors, including changes in both agency and government policies and programs. Our study shows that CBR practitioners are engaged in research on a wide array of Canadian health and social issues that is making a difference. Finding appropriate levels of participation for community members in CBR remains an ongoing challenge.

This study surveyed attitudes, behaviors, social norms, and perceived control among the populations of students at three high schools in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The results showed a pattern of hesitancy to cycle on the part of female high school students compared with their male counterparts. Young women reported less access to a bicycle, less comfort or confidence in riding, more fear associated with cycling, and less ability to decide independently how to travel to school. The study identified two important variables that were likely associated with young women's smaller participation in cycling to school: overall cycling mode share and ability to decide their travel mode independently. The former variable tracked findings for the general population, and the latter appeared to have been associated with the proximity of immigration, as families might have brought associations of danger to independent female travelers from their countries of origin or perceived new dangers in Canada. While the former association is well established, the latter hypothesis warrants further research.

Community-based research (CBR) describes a range of research approaches that link community members and external researchers in investigations that promote progressive social change as well as deeper understanding of specific issues important to communities. Increasingly, CBR is being carried out through community-university partnerships in which the research course-work of undergraduate and graduate students is integrated with the research needs of community organisations, providing much-needed intellectual resources to community groups while giving students invaluable experience in applying their academic skills. This article contributes to the understanding and practice of community-based research by situating a number of specific research approaches within a broad framework of CBR and by describing in detail one CBR initiative in Toronto, Canada.

Universities can provide a stable home for launching collaborative community research projects. Citizens' Environment Watch (CEW), an environmental monitoring initiative based at the University of Toronto, has made significant contributions to environmental education and stewardship in Ontario, Canada. Following dramatic cuts in provincial monitoring programs, citizens and youth have used chemical parameters and biological indicators to gauge water and air quality, and to identify areas requiring remediation and pollution prevention efforts. The relationship of Citizens' Environment Watch to government agencies, funders and other grassroots environmental groups has evolved over the past 5 years as CEW attempts to remain effective without taking on the investigative and enforcement roles to support the regulatory enforcement that has been largely abandoned by government. We explore the challenges inherent in developing and maintaining a volunteer organization that carries out rigorous and useful scientific work and we outline the ability of a university to help overcome these critical challenges. Finally, we present lessons learned for the benefit of other citizen and youth monitoring projects.

Many professional bodies now include activist committees devoted to better serving the broad public interest. Some of the different ways that these groups operate are explored and analyzed. In particular, professional activist groups are divided into two general categories: those dealing mainly with standards of professional practice, and those dealing with political and social issues relevant to the larger social milieu. By participating in such groups, professionals can give the public an alternative view of their profession, and set the stage for public demand for more responsive, socially controlled, professional practices.