Austerity urbanism and recreation restructuring: insights from recreation workers and participants

Abstract

This paper focuses on the period 2009 to 2019 and is principally concerned with two objectives: first, to determine how austerity urbanism has affected municipal recreation workers' conditions and quality of employment and, secondly, to asses how recreation restructuring has affected accessibility for users and whether there has been a differential impact for low-income and racialized communities. Drawing from interviews with both recreation workers and participants, we argue that urban austerity has intensified the pressures and precariousness faced by recreation workers, while simultaneously compromising inclusive and accessible services for historically marginalized groups.