Accessible vs. efficient: an investigation into Brown's most-utilized paths and shortcuts

When I first got to Brown, I felt overwhelmed by the hills and the distances I’d have to travel between buildings. And I'm an able-bodied, 4'11" woman, so I knew it couldn't just be me who was intimidated by the design of Brown's campus.Though Brown has been taking steps to improve accessibility in recent years (thank you, Friedman Hall), it's still far from perfect. During this year's pre-orientation, a workshop about ableism held by the Third World Transition Program called attention to the (lack of) accessibility around Brown and revealed just how difficult it is to navigate our campus if you're not able-bodied. After all, as someone pointed out, it is a literal College Hill.But it’s not just the hills. Walking around later, I began noticing both subtle and non-subtle ways in which inaccessibility is built into our campus. Using the campus accessibility map (available online) as a guide and my own knowledge of the campus, I went around from building to building while listening to music and timing (based on my playlist) how long it took me to move through the most accessible route — one that excluded all paths with stairs or hills that were marked as inaccessible on the accessibility map. (Truth be told, sometimes even the most "accessible" routes weren't actually that accessible. The roads were often pothole-filled, the sidewalks poorly maintained, and the slopes steeper than ideal).I also wanted to compare the "most accessible paths" with the fastest but not necessarily accessible paths, so for every accessible path I sped along, I also walked the most distant-efficient path I could find.Note: I am an able-bodied female, 4'11" tall, and walk at approximately 1.5 - 2 meters/second (5 - 6.5 feet per second, or 3.5 - 4.5 mph).Here's what I learned:START: SCILIDESTINATION: ROCKSONG: Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light OrchestraTIME TAKEN WITH ACCESSIBLE PATH: 1.25 x 5:03 min (total 6:12)TIME TAKEN WITH FASTEST PATH: 1 x 5:03 min (total 5:03)OBSERVATIONS: The fastest path is through the Ruth J. Simmons quad, but there are STAIRS there, which makes it impossible to do so without adding extra distance. The Rock thankfully has a ramp that leads into it, and so does the SciLi. Waterman Street isn't an awful hill, but it's definitely not ideal.START: ROCKDESTINATION: RATTYSONG: Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury by Rachel BloomTIME TAKEN WITH ACCESSIBLE PATH: 1.5 x 2:45 min (total 4:08)TIME TAKEN WITH FASTEST PATH: 1.5 x 2:45 min (total 4:08)OBSERVATIONS: George Street is a little bit of a struggle. You definitely don't want to go down Prospect Street if you're trying to avoid hills.START: RATTYDESTINATION: ORWIGSONG: Mr. Brightside by The KillersTIME TAKEN WITH ACCESSIBLE PATH: 1.75 x 3:43 min (total 6:30)TIME TAKEN WITH FASTEST PATH: 1.75 x 3:43 min (total 6:30)OBSERVATIONS: Unless there's another way that I wasn't able to figure out, you actually can't get up to the Orwig building – not only does it have a steep-ass hill leading up to it, but there are also stairs right at the door. Other thoughts: some of the paths near Orwig are TERRIBLE. They're riddled with bursting concrete and potholes.START: ORWIGDESTINATION: BARUS AND HOLLEYSONG: Pussy is God by King PrincessTIME TAKEN WITH ACCESSIBLE PATH: 1 x 3:26 min (total 3:26)TIME TAKEN WITH FASTEST PATH: 1 x 3:26 min (total 3:26)OBSERVATIONS: Besides the shitty road/sidewalk conditions, this path is actually not awful. Barus and Holley is accessible through the back, and has a flat path to the door.START: BARUS AND HOLLEYDESTINATION: PEMBROKESONG: Gives You Hell by All-American RejectsTIME TAKEN WITH ACCESSIBLE PATH: 2.25 x 3:32 min (total 7:57)TIME TAKEN WITH FASTEST PATH: 2 x 3:32 min (total 7:04)OBSERVATIONS: Believe it or not, there actually is a small ramp near Pembroke that enables you to avoid stepping on the seal. It's a little ways up Meeting Street, though, which is literally steep enough to provide an effective calf workout on its own if you don't want to go all the way to the Nelson. To get to North Campus, it's optimal to go through the path listed instead of going through Thayer, which is usually full of people and doesn't have as much space on sidewalks. The faster path is really similar to the accessible path, you just save some time by not having to worry about the ramp at Pembroke and getting to cut some extra corners (thanks to the Pythagorean theorem!).START: PEMBROKEDESTINATION: SALOMON/MAIN GREENSONG: Toxic by Britney SpearsTIME TAKEN WITH ACCESSIBLE PATH: 2 x 3:19 min (total 6:38)TIME TAKEN WITH FASTEST PATH: 1.2 x 3:19 min (total 3:54)OBSERVATIONS: The faster route is to go up/down Brown Street, but that is one hell of a calf workout. The easier, more accessible route is through the path outlined above.START: SALOMONDESTINATION: ROCKSONG: All-Star by Smash MouthTIME TAKEN WITH ACCESSIBLE PATH: 1 x 3:20 min (total 3:20)TIME TAKEN WITH FASTEST PATH: 1 x 3:20 min (total 3:20)OBSERVATIONS: I didn't notice a significant difference from my normal route when it came to the paths on the front green, but the path highlighted does appear to be the least slopey of the ones available.START: SALOMONDESTINATION: SCILISONG: I’m A Believer by The MonkeesTIME TAKEN WITH ACCESSIBLE PATH: 1 x 3:00 min (total 3:00)TIME TAKEN WITH FASTEST PATH: 0.8 x 3:00 min (total 2:24)OBSERVATIONS: You would be able to cut this time down if you could go through Ruth J. Simmons, but there are stairs.START: SALOMONDESTINATION: KEENEYSONG: Sucker by The Jonas BrothersTIME TAKEN WITH ACCESSIBLE PATH: 1 x 3:01 min (total 3:01)TIME TAKEN WITH FASTEST PATH: 1 x 3:01 min (total 3:01)OBSERVATIONS: You don't have to cross the street near Wayland, but the other sidewalk is kind of lumpy and annoying to walk along. If you're on wheels, it's not a fun time.START: SALOMONDESTINATION: JO’SSONG: Use Somebody by Kings of LeonTIME TAKEN WITH ACCESSIBLE PATH: 2 x 3:51 min (total 7:42)TIME TAKEN WITH FASTEST PATH: 5:10 minOBSERVATIONS: This is a pretty straightforward path — it's what I would take in general without my hill and stair restrictions. However, George Street is the faster route.START: KEENEYDESTINATION: JO’SSONG: Trouble by Cage The ElephantTIME TAKEN WITH ACCESSIBLE PATH: 1.25 x 3:46 min (total 4:43)TIME TAKEN WITH FASTEST PATH: 1 x 3:46 min (total 3:46)OBSERVATIONS: This was a rough one to figure out. You can't go through Wriston Quad at all if you're aiming for accessibility — it's blocked by walls, and the only way through it involves a staircase. Big nope. Instead, you have to go up to George Street and make your way all the way around. Charlesfield is a big no-no for accessibility, but I wouldn't recommend it even if you're not restricted. It's full of potholes and shitty tree roots and is just not a fun time. While I had already known from simple observation that Brown's campus isn't the most accessible, deliberately seeking out accessible routes really brought that fact to life. As an able-bodied person, I have the privilege of not having to think particularly deeply about how I'm going to get from place to place, while others may be extremely limited in terms of paths they can take.Overall, I learned that the time differences were most stark when heading anywhere that involved getting to the Main Green. I knew that the Ruth J. Simmons Quad was the fastest way through for a lot of cases, but before actually actively thinking about accessibility, I hadn't realized just how much time that path saved me.Other than those cases, it was interesting (and pleasantly surprising) to learn that often, the "most accessible paths" were also the fastest. The downside, however, was that most of the time, these paths still aren't great. They're sloped. They're uneven. They're full of potholes and other obstacles that many of us can just step over, but not all of us can.I came across a comic the other day that showed a student in a wheelchair waiting for a ramp to be cleared of snow, while only the stairs were being plowed. They were told to wait for the ramp because everyone else was "waiting for the stairs." One of the characters pointed out that perhaps the ramp should be prioritized, because unlike the stairs, if the ramp alone were plowed, everyone — those in wheelchairs and the able-bodied people waiting for the stairs — would be able to get up.Given that Brown is an old institution, it's not shocking that ableism is literally built into our campus. But it seems that there are always ways to make the campus a more accessible, less physically daunting space for everyone. As we await these changes, the least we can do is be aware of this fact.Images via.