Safe Passage: Towards an Integrated Planning Approach for Landscape Connectivity

The objective of this project is to provide additional research support for a research partnership investigating innovative wildlife crossing structures.

Safe Passages is a three-year research partnership led by the Ecological Design Lab at the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Ryerson University. It seeks to develop an integrated approach for the sustainable planning, design and implementation of wildlife crossing infrastructure and improved landscape connectivity. Currently the partnership is exploring new and creative infrastructure designs, including plastic bridges. This project will support a graduate student to assist with research tasks related to this effort. Research tasks will include development of a comprehensive literature review outlining existing uses and case studies of plastic bridges in wildlife and non-wildlife applications, investigation of the suitability of plastic bridges in wildlife crossing infrastructure (including the identification of opportunities and barriers), and the coordination of design workshops.