Creating Environments for Health: Mapping Urban Recreational Land Use, 1940s-1990s

Sasha Mullally, University of New Brunswick
Sean Cox, University of New Brunswick

Though scholars have used aerial imagery in rural and agricultural geospatial research, the use of aerial photo archives remain underutilized for studying urban and suburban history. This paper maps urban and suburban development over the 20th century using the case study of Fredericton New Brunswick. A typical small city on Canada's Atlantic coast, Fredericton presents an ideal case study to develop interdisciplinary methods to create a deep six decade time series of mosaicked aerial photos. From these data we reveal new and important information about the designation, location and use of recreational and green spaces and adjacent sport facilities over decades of intentional "modernization." Analyzed against archival sources related to municipal planning and development, these sources illuminate new histories of environment, recreation, health and wellness.

See extended abstract

 Presented in Session 90. Public Health and Population Health