Wireless data essential tool for study of urban recovery from pandemic

Social scientists are depending on wireless data to drive their research. A study at the University of Toronto’s School of Cities uses such information as the cornerstone of its research. Karen Chapple is director of the school and a professor of geography and planning. She is one of several social scientists who need the information wireless companies can provide. “Researchers are using cell phone data frequently now,” she told The Wire Report. “You’ll see that a lot of research that cities and other consultants put out, like Environics, which relies on cell phone data, and similarly we rely on cell phone data.” She explained that U of T buys the data from an aggregator so no privacy is affected by the release of the information. Chapple estimated that the school has a database of about 18 million cell phone devices across Canada and the United States. It has a sample size of five per cent, although that figure is lower in rural areas which are not as heavily populated. The School of Cities has done a look at the rate of economic recovery of downtown areas in over 60 communities in Canada and the United States. For the past two years, U of T has been looking at how cities have bounced back from the downturn caused by the pandemic. Chapple likes to use the fable of “The Tortoise and the Hare” to describe the rates of growth in certain cities. “I would point to Quebec City and Halifax as being our leaders in 2022 and 2023,” she stated. “Places like Mississauga were also early leaders just from a fluke, because they happened to have a new residential that opened during the pandemic.” The only centre in North America which saw more than 100 per cent return to economic activity in the downtown core was Las Vegas. But Mississauga was at 91 per cent, Quebec City at 87 per cent, and Halifax at 85 per cent. “And then you have the which are Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto,” she reported. “They are slowly coming back.” Vancouver was at 85 per cent, Toronto at 70 per cent, and Montreal at 67 per cent. A further study of recovery trends, released at the end of April, found that 52 downtown regions are moving upwards in terms of recovery while 12 are trending downwards. “In general, the downtowns that are seeing the highest rates of activity increase are the downtowns where recovery was lagging in our 2023 rankings,” the U of T study says. Halifax comes in second across the U.S. and Canada, with an increase of 52.2 per cent. Toronto is in 23rd place with 14.6 per cent, followed by 25th-place Vancouver at 14.2 per cent and 26th-place Montreal at 14 per cent. Ottawa is the next Canadian city on the chart, placing 32nd with 9.5 per cent growth. The only Canadian cities to register decreases are Winnipeg at -0.1 per cent for 53rd place and 58th-place London at -2.8 per cent. – Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca

Wireless data essential tool for study of urban recovery from pandemic

News | June 7, 2024

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Wireless data essential tool for study of urban recovery from pandemic

News | June 7, 2024

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