Profs. Catherine Bonier and Menna Agha receive grants for EDI research 

Two faculty members at the Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism are among the recipients of research grants from Carleton University’s 2025 CU-CUASA Special Fund for EDI Research and Pedagogical Innovation.

Associate Professor Catherine Bonier was awarded $14,898 for research aimed at designing accessible waterfronts in Ottawa. Assistant Professor Menna Agha receives $12,690 to study the social impact of a community-led design-build project by the school’s Action Lab.

“We are grateful for their continued commitment to addressing equity in architectural research, pedagogies, and practices,” said Director Anne Bordeleau.

The CU-CUASA Special Fund for EDI Research and Pedagogical Innovation supports research excellence and pedagogical innovation by members of equity-deserving groups or on topics emphasizing equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Here are summaries of the projects.

Equitable Rivers Ottawa: Collaboratively, Imagining and Designing Accessible Waterfronts
Associate Professor Catherine Bonier

How can we imagine and adapt park designs so seniors and persons with disabilities can fully use and enjoy Ottawa’s riverfront recreation? Dr. Catherine Bonier is leading the Equitable Rivers Ottawa project, researching how to design truly accessible waterfront sites. This project will conduct a survey and mapping of the Rideau River from Black Rapids to Rideau Falls, documenting the successes and limitations of recreational water access sites.

Following this survey, the researchers will conduct open consultations with members of the Ottawa Disability Caucus to determine two to three selected sites that will allow the best potential for future water access.

Researchers will conduct case study research of global solutions and imagine and draw new design proposals for these areas, while training architecture and urbanism students to understand design and engagement within more inclusive frameworks.

These designs and guidelines will be disseminated via public meetings, design teaching, and academic conferences.

Community Engaged Architecture: Post-Occupancy Study
Assistant Professor Menna Agha

This research focuses on the post-occupancy evaluation of 1700 Spot, a community-engaged design-build project in Russell Heights, Ottawa — a racialized social housing development experiencing over-policing and neglect.

Developed with the Architecture Action Lab and residents,1700 Spot is a multifunctional public space that includes a community kitchen, youth house, and outdoor amenities for sports, recreation, and gathering.

The project posits architecture as a social infrastructure capable of nurturing community well-being. It seeks to support the mental health and well-being of youth, with a particular focus on the disproportionate challenges faced by Black youth in urban settings.

This project will examine the impact of community-engaged design in activating public spaces and seek to understand how community members see themselves as active agents of urban space-making through their use of co-designed architecture. The research will consider how empowerment is felt through placemaking, participatory design, and community care to build neighbourhoods of youth inclusion, access, and safety.