8 80 Cities Call for Volunteers: Public Life Study, 8 80 TowerPOPS Rockcliffe-Smythe

This July, 8 80 Cities is measuring how people move and engage with public spaces across the GTA, and they’re looking for volunteer researchers!

A Public Life Study (PLS) is a form of real-time data collection which includes simple counting, mapping, and surveying tools that help to measure how people use, pass through, and engage with public spaces.

This data helps city builders assess how a space measures up before a public space transformation begins!

Last spring and fall, 8 80 Cities conducted the first two rounds of Public Life Studies at each 8 80 TowerPOPS site before and during implementation. Informed by this data and community feedback, they’ve reactivated these spaces with design improvements over the summer. Now, they’re looking to measure how these programming and space improvements will impact community use and wellbeing. As a volunteer, you can expect a short 3-4 hour shift where you will map movement and activity across each site using templated data collection tools, as well as survey community members about their experiences with 8 80 TowerPOPS.

This study is being completed in partnership with the University of Guelph.

Responsibilities

• There will be a mandatory virtual PLS Training on Monday, July 13, 2026, from 4:00 – 5:30 PM
• Part-time shifts
• Public Life Studies will take place at TowerPOPS Rockcliffe-Smythe, Toronto, on Wednesday July 15 and Saturday July 18.

Volunteers should be familiar with or interested in developing skills in placemaking, urban planning, spatial design, data analysis, and community engagement. Individuals from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community are encouraged to apply. Applications are open on a rolling basis.