Where in Saskatoon is best to live without a car? A U of S student decided to figure it out

Monique Poisson-Fast doesn't believe all neighbourhoods are created equal. 

So in their undergraduate thesis as a geography and planning student at the University of Saskatchewan, they took a closer look at transit access and food availability in Saskatoon, mapping out the best spots to live for those without vehicles.

"I was just curious how the neighborhood that people lived in impacted their ability to meet their daily needs, specifically their food and transportation needs if they didn't have a car," Poisson-Fast told Saskatoon Morning host Stephanie Massicotte.

Poisson-Fast's map shows the distances between bus stops and food stores, identifying neighbourhoods that provide high levels of access to both. 

Their research found that the Eighth Street corridor is the most ideal area of Saskatoon for car-free living. 

"You want to have access within walking distance to a lot of food stores and to a lot of bus routes so you can facilitate mobility around the city," they said. 

The research also highlights the University Heights and Confederation neighbourhoods and the eastern part of 22nd Street as areas with fairly high levels of food and transit access.

However, Poisson-Fast concluded that Saskatoon remains a car-centric city. 

They identified some neighbourhoods near the edges of the city, such as Aspen Ridge, Brighton and Kensington, as the worst places to live without a car in Saskatoon. 

"These suburbs are designed under the assumption that people will have cars and that will be their main mode of transportation, which is true for a lot of cases," said Poisson-Fast. 

"But you also want to be building communities that people don't have to use cars, or even if they do own a car, they don't have to use it all the time for everything."

LISTEN | Eighth Street turns out to be the best place to live if you don't have a car:

Saskatoon Morning5:13Eighth Street turns out to be the best place to live if you don't have a car

Host Stephanie Massicotte talks with Monique Poisson-Fast, a geography student who has mapped out the best area in the city to live when you don't own a car. 

Local stores offer overlooked solutions

Poisson-Fast's research also sheds light on a surprising misconception about Saskatoon's west side. 

While many residents believe location limits their access to groceries, smaller ethnic grocery stores in the area are being overlooked, they said.

"There's actually a lot of smaller independent grocery stores, especially what's considered ethnic grocery stores, places that sort of are going towards specific cultural food or cuisine," Poisson-Fast said.  

"They can be great options to meet your food needs even if you don't have a Safeway or Sobeys right nearby." 

Ehab Diab, associate professor in geography and planning at the University of Saskatchewan, said supporting smaller stores largely depends on residents themselves. 

"That of course can increase the odds of everyone knowing what they actually have around them," Diab said. 

He also pointed out that several factors influence grocery shopping decisions, including cost, commute time and the safety and condition of the store. 

"One way to improve or to encourage people to use the local stores is by improving the local conditions," Diab said. 

Better awareness of these stores and integrating them more effectively into urban planning could help drive local food accessibility, he said.

"Give them more opportunity to live well and in a neighborhood that they can access what they need on a daily basis."