Sarah L. Reeser

Research and Professional Interests

My current research focuses on developing GIS models to gauge access to greenspace in Toronto. Assessment of greenspace accessibility is often based upon walkability, a measure of the ability to physically reach a location within a particular distance and without encountering a barrier. Walkability is a crucial part of greenspace access; however, there is increasing evidence that greenspace accessibility can encompass additional types of interactions and reflect a variety of concerns. Using metrics based upon visibility and air quality, I will examine the ways in which different spatial relationships with greenspace can inform different ideas of accessibility. My professional interests include environmental management, GIS and geomatics, and urban sustainability.

My previous research examined themes of geography, vision, and materiality in the late medieval and early modern Atlantic World. These themes, broadly speaking, continue to inform my current work, even though the methodology I now use is quite different (less Latin, more computers!).

Honours and Awards

• 2022-2023 Canada Graduate Scholarship- Master’s (CGS M): Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
• 2022 Geography Recruitment Award: University of Toronto, Dept. of Geography and Planning
• 2019 Short-Term Fellowship (Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellow): The Huntington Library, San Marino, California
• 2018 Dean’s Fund for International and Indigenous Initiatives (Group Award): Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Toronto
• 2012-2018 Jackman Junior Fellowship: Jackman Humanities Institute, University of Toronto
• 2013 Colin Chase Award: Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto
• 2009 Jeff Metcalf Fellowship Grant: University of Chicago
• 2008 Paul Shorey Foreign Study Prize: University of Chicago