Supervised Consumption Sites in Canadian Neighbourhoods: The Role that Physical Design and Location Play in Community Relations

Abstract

Across Canada, 6,214 overdose fatalities occurred in 2020, with 21,174 overdose deaths recorded from January 2016 to December 2020 (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2021, p5). With the ongoing opioid crisis, supervised consumption sites (SCSs) are becoming permanent fixtures in many Canadian cities. Similarly, we are coming to understand the importance of built forms and their relationship to behaviors in everyday life. Many community members are opposed to having SCSs placed in their communities as they link them to an increase in social disorder, leading to more crime (Wallace, Chamberlain, Fahmy, 2019; Sampson & Raudenbush, 1999). However, this contradicts the literature on SCSs (Wood et al., 2006). In exploring the relationships between built forms of SCSs and their surrounding communities, I found that SCSs do not directly contribute to social disorder. Instead, social disorder in these locations predates the implementation of SCSs. The built forms of SCSs are at a unique intersection of space and public health. SCSs provide a life-saving service through harm reduction practices, but they go beyond this initial purpose and take on new meanings and purposes for those in the community. While those meanings differ SCSs remain an important part of community growth and are essential to healthy urban development. Simply ignoring addiction, poverty, and mental health issues during development/redevelopment in communities places the burden of these issues unfairly on businesses and community members. This results in further stigma and conflict in public spaces.