These interactions are increasingly common in cities across Canada—but they’ve rarely been studied as what they truly represent.
Now, uOttawa research reframing panhandling as a question of urban governance is bringing together policymakers, researchers and community organizations to examine how cities can enact policies and programs that balance public safety, public space and human dignity.
Panhandling at urban intersections is as prevalent as it is misunderstood, says Professor Huhua Cao, an urban studies expert in the Department of Geography and co-president of the International Conference on Canadian, Chinese and African Sustainable Urbanization (ICCCASU), a global think tank working in partnership with UN-Habitat.
He argues that intersections deserve to be examined as distinct spaces.
“Panhandling at urban intersections sits at the crossroads of human dignity, public safety, public perception and urban governance.”
The shift may seem subtle, but it carries powerful implications for how cities respond.
Urban intersections as windows into societal challenges
Most research considers panhandling as the result of larger societal issues such as inequality, mental health, addiction and housing insecurity. The connection isn’t inaccurate, says Cao, but it’s not the whole story.
Cao says current research methods can obscure interactions at intersections where panhandling often occurs. He suggests examining them through an urban governance lens.
With this approach, intersections change from mere backdrops to meaningful spaces where multiple pressures of city life converge.
Urban intersections are where vehicular traffic, human movement and public life intersect — where deeper social challenges become highly visible. Housing affordability, unemployment, addiction and social exclusion don’t originate at street corners, but street corners are where these issues are most visible.
Cao says studying panhandling through an urban governance lens can help researchers and policymakers better understand the individuals who engage in it and the systems that shape their circumstances. It’s an approach that enables researchers to move beyond quick judgments to a more nuanced, evidence-based understanding.
“We believe it’s important to address both the visible symptoms and the underlying causes,” he says.
Balancing compassion and safety
Panhandling also raises practical concerns that cities can’t ignore. There are questions about safety for drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and panhandlers themselves. And signs of poverty can negatively influence how people perceive their surroundings. Local governments and community organizations must make difficult decisions to respond in ways that are both effective and compassionate.
Cao places these concerns alongside questions of human dignity and social responsibility, treating them as interconnected parts of a larger picture.
“By examining what is happening at intersections, we may be able to identify practical measures that improve public safety, strengthen community responses and contribute to broader efforts to address homelessness and social exclusion.”
“Our goal is to understand what those intersections tell us about the health of our cities—and how we can build cities that are safer, more inclusive and more humane.”
Huhua Cao
— Department of Geography and co-president, ICCCASU
Cao says such measures could include outreach teams that visit major intersections to connect people with housing, health-care, addiction and mental-health services; partnerships between municipalities and community organizations to provide support and case management; or safer intersection designs that reduce risks for both panhandlers and road users.
uOttawa leading the discussion
This balanced perspective is what makes Cao’s work so timely. Despite the rise of panhandling across Canada, there had been little co-ordinated discussion of it until earlier this year, when the University of Ottawa sponsored a roundtable on panhandling at urban intersections.
The event featured uOttawa researchers, Ottawa city councillors and representatives from community service organizations in discussions about research gaps, policy challenges and public concerns regarding safety.
Cao says the goal of the roundtable wasn’t to produce quick fixes, but to build a clearer understanding of the issue.
He says the event revealed a shared sentiment among participants that panhandling remains a difficult topic for cities to address, not only with regards to governance, but in matters of public safety and human dignity as well.
In this respect, he says, the roundtable was an important first step in creating a productive dialogue.
“Our goal is not simply to understand why people stand at intersections asking for help,” he adds. “It is to understand what those intersections tell us about the health of our cities—and how we can build cities that are safer, more inclusive and more humane.”