Our Community Partner - RECOVER Urban Wellbeing - planned to hire local ethnographers (Jan 2023) to explore the following research questions: How can we increase feelings of connection, safety, and wellbeing for people at City Hall? 

In addition to the work of these professional researchers, Dr. Long's Fall 2022 Ethnographic Research Methods course conducted a pilot study involving: (1) observational mapping and (2) interviews with key interlocuters working at City Hall.

As a first step however, RECOVER Urban Wellbeing team members and Dr. Long first needed to understand: How other municipalities envisioned the purpose of their City Hall space? Who can use it? Why? How? When? Who enforces the rules? etc.

In response, the team hired Emma Ash (B.A. Anthropology) to conduct preliminary research over the summer. Below you can read Emma's Report and find her Artefact: The Personas of City Halls Across Canada.