UVic and City of Victoria go tandem on new course

A unique hands-on experience for University of Victoria undergraduate geography students starts downtown this week. The creator of BikeMaps.org, UVic geography professor Trisalyn Nelson, is joining with the City of Victoria to offer a new course (Geog 491: Advanced Topics in Geography) to address challenges and realize opportunities for improving pedestrian and bicycle routes in our city. Nelson, with faculty colleagues Cam Owens and Johan Feddema along with city staff, will co-develop a list of potential student projects, such as the creation of infographics to better understand the impacts of bike lanes and a review of best practice for use of these lanes.

“This is a historic moment,” says City of Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps. “It's the first time a UVic course has been organized around a City of Victoria project. We're looking forward to this course and to growing this relationship.”
 
“Our students are excited to embed their learning in the community,” says Nelson. “The #BIKETORIA course is a great opportunity to gain job-ready skills and contribute to a vibrant city.”

The #BIKETORIA initiative is an ambitious plan launched by the city in 2015 to identify cycling corridors and create concept designs for an updated bicycle network for all ages and abilities. The Capital Regional District has joined in support of the course by offering space in its boardroom for the first month.

BikeMaps.org was created in 2014 by Nelson and a team of researchers in the UVic Geography SPAR Lab (Spatial Pattern and Analysis Research) to collect data on cycling safety.

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