Field Assessment Team
Have you ever been in a public restroom only to discover that it’s out of toilet paper? Or soap?
Our team is trying to keep track of these kinds of things, evaluating the quality and accessibility of our public restrooms in San Diego.
Goals
- Verify where existing bathroom facilities are (in concert with our Bathroom Mapping Team)
- Assess existing facilities’ quality, accessibility, and hours of operation
- Capture point coordinates and photos of facilities through a field assessment tool
Research Questions
- What public health-supportive features exist (or not) at public restrooms across San Diego County?
- How do actual conditions at public restrooms measure up to reported conditions?
- Do public restrooms exist where we think they do and are they open consistently?
- How does facility quality vary across restrooms and across neighborhoods?
- How do restroom access and conditions differ in marginalized, public restroom-reliant communities vs non-marginalized communities?
- How are restrooms dispersed throughout the region in terms of proximity to public facilities (e.g, library, park, museum, transit stop)?
Current Activities
Our goal during Summer 2022 is to assess 35 restrooms throughout San Diego County, collecting multiple forms of data – basic information on facility features, accessibility, and hours of operation; an in-depth “toilet audit” of health, hygiene, and safety features; and field notes and photographs.
These activities will also serve to verify exact restroom locations and their current availability.
Our tool evaluates the basic qualities of a public restroom — informing discussion around barriers to accessing public restrooms and meeting other sanitation-related needs, and how this impacts our communities.
Restroom Basics
Restroom Name
Location (GPS Coordinates)
Posted Hours of Operation
Facility Type (e.g., public building, outdoor facility)
Health & Hygiene
Other Basic Features (e.g., soap, seat covers)
Shower Availability
Menstrual Product Availability
Safe Needle Deposit Box Availability
Basic Building Features
Functionality (e.g., lights, running/hot water)
Amount and Condition of Toilets/Urinals
Baby Changing Stations
Gender Neutral Stalls
ADA Accessibility
External Factors
Security and Building Features
Proximity to Public Transit
Visibility and Identifiability
Ease of Access