What is lived experience?

“Lived experience” refers to personal knowledge, perceptions, and feelings about the built environments in which we live, work, and play. Responses reflect meaningful personal opinions rather than expert, scientific, or even formal descriptions.

Mapping positive lived experiences in Canada
Housing Housing
public building img Public Buildings
streets and paths img Streets and Paths
parks squares and plazas img Parks,⁣ Squares and Plazas
neighborhoods and districts img Neighborhoods and Districts
others img Others
Quality in Canada's Built Environment: Roadmaps to Equity, Social Value and Sustainablity

Share your lived experience

Musée des beaux-arts du Canada
Stéphanie 29 July 2025
Je me souviens de ce musée comme un lieu de refuge à mon adolescence. Un lieu où je pouvais retrouver […]
Cinéma Beaubien
Dominique 27 May 2025
My experience with the Cinéma Beaubien is a way of reconnecting with Québécois cinema. I feel so happy to be […]
Quais at Bassins Peel
Dominique 26 May 2025
The MURAL Festival at Bassins Peel …
One House Many Nations
Jenna 16 May 2025
“In my community, I witnessed, in entirety, caring and selflessness. Working together to build a safe space for our growing […]
Big River First Nation
Walter 16 May 2025
“My positive living experiences is learning my culture from elders as well as living off the land and learning to […]
Sharon Temple – Sharon, Ontario
Michael 13 May 2025
“As an example of a specific positive experience of quality in the built environment, I remember visiting Sharon Temple in […]
City Creek Center – Salt Lake City
Cleo 8 May 2025
I particularly remember walking through the City Creek Center in Salt Lake City. Unlike a typical mall in the United […]
Bar Milton Parc – Montreal
Iris 27 March 2025
“The first thing that comes to mind is Bar Milton Parc, a co-op bar set up in the heart of […]
Charts Café – Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Karen 27 March 2025
“I particularly remember visiting a charming little coffee shop called Charts Café, just off the Harvest Moon Trailway bike trail […]
Loafe Café, campus of UBC – Vancouver
Fionn 27 March 2025
“I particularly remember visiting Loafe Café on UBC’s campus. For me, an ideal space in the built environment should offer […]
Addition to the Hospital for Sick Children – Toronto
Marco 27 March 2025
Like many architects, I’ve visited a wide variety of buildings, studied drawings and photographs of many more, and made my […]
Blusson Spinal Cord Centre – Vancouver
Kim 27 March 2025
My experience with health care and having a spinal cord injury (SCI), goes back four decades. Finding a doctor or […]
Blusson Spinal Cord Centre – Vancouver
Doramy 27 March 2025
I particularly remember visiting the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre in Vancouver when it first opened in 2008. It was built […]
Dandy Brewing Company – Calgary
Erin and Nabeel 27 March 2025
“We particularly remember visiting the Dandy Brewing Company in Calgary, Alberta – which is a micro-brewery that was built in […]
Saint-Michel Flea Market – Montreal
Will 27 March 2025
“I know nothing of how the flea market is managed or administered, but it seems to be organized in a […]
The Slayte – Ottawa
Taylor 27 March 2025
“I particularly remember visiting The Slayte at 473 Albert Street in Ottawa. The Slayte is one of Ottawa’s first office-to-residential […]
Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel – Banff
Gavin 27 March 2025
“I particularly remember visiting the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel (Banff, Alberta). It is located in in the mountains on the […]
Clegg-Feller Building – Ottawa
Chris 27 March 2025
I have visited the Clegg-Feller Building (155-159 Rideau Street) in Ottawa, innumerable times over the years. Completed around 1864, it […]
Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and Nose Hill Park – Alberta
Brian 27 March 2025
As I reflect on spaces and places of positivity, a few examples come to mind – and they can be […]
Wychwood Barns – Toronto
Veronica 27 March 2025
“Wychwood Barns is a community hub located in Toronto’s Wychwood neighbourhood. It is a multi-use space that was once a […]
Guidelines

Typically, between 500-1000 words.

Positive Lived Experience should touch on at least one of QUALITY IN CANADA’S BUILT ENVIRONMENT goals.

Should aim to include at least one good quality image accompanied with a caption.

Should be accessible and understandable to a wide audience, e.g. everyday language, and explain any more complex concepts with which not everyone will be familiar.

Contributions in EN-FR

Include a short author bio.

Process will include submission, review and edition.