THRILLED TO HAVE JUST COMPLETED RECORDING AN EPISODE

FOR THE PLANNING COMMISSION PODCAST

The hour flew by talking about Universal Design and how it delivers dignity for people with disabilities.

I also explained how Universal Design is the most sustainable, flexible, durable, resilient and cost-effective approach to the built environment.

The hosts, Chris Danley and Don Kostelec, really get it. They introduce walkability, Americans with Disabilities Act compliance and access for all into every project they work on.

Chris is a recognized national expert in Walkability and Health Impact Assessments, is co-creator of the Looking Glass walk audit training academy, crafted the Activity Connection Plan™ and Healthy Conditions Assessment models.

He has conducted numerous planning and assessment projects throughout Idaho, North Carolina, Utah and other states.

He also works with Blue Zones as a subject matter expert in the Built-Environment throughout the United States. inkedin Twitter

Don is a 20-year professional in transportation planning, health analysis and comprehensive planning. 

His work extends from Alaska to Florida and California to New York, but is focused in the Intermountain West. He is an avid walker and has been since the age of 1.

Don is known as a provocative speaker who helps communities better engage the design profession for more equitable and safer street design that prioritizes the safety of people over the movement of cars.

Look for the episode to drop before the end of November at:

https://theplanningcommissionpodcast.com/

WE ARE TEACHING UNIVERSAL DESIGN

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

We have launched a first of its kind course on Universal Design.

We is my wife, Heidi Johnson-Wright, and yours truly.

Our gratitude to UMSoA Dean Rodolphe el-Khoury, Director of the Undergraduate Program Jaime Correa and countless faculty and staff members is beyond words.

My evolution as a writer and planner came about because of the UMSoA.

I learned city and regional planning from then Dean Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, who also hired me to work on writing projects. I learned about community building from the former Knight Program at the UMSoA.

My leadership as an urban policy advisor for the chairman of the Miami City Commission was fueled by various UMSoA professors and colleagues.

It has been a dream to influence you designers, to teach them about human-centered architecture and planning.

Heidi, a lifelong public servant with more than two decades of experience as an Americans with Disabilities Act professional, has used a wheelchair for mobility for four decades.

We have celebrated the triumphs of barrier-removal and railed against the injustice of even brand new buildings, streetscapes and parks that are littered with poor design that limits or largely blocks access by wheelchair.

Together, we have published nearly 1,000 articles on design, planning, policy and other issues related to people with disabilities.

I have covered Universal Design for dozens of major publications, including Planning, the magazine of the American Planning Association, which published a 2021 opinion piece advocating for the teaching of Universal Design at the higher education level.

The brilliant late architect Ron Mace created the concept of Universal Design -- defined as design usable by all people to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialization.

Universal Design goes far beyond ADA compliance.

It is elegant, welcoming, durable, efficient and sustainable.

We will be featuring guest experts – architects and consultants, many who have a disability – via Zoom and hopefully in-person at the Coral Gables campus.

We will be empowering both undergraduate and undergraduate students with the ability to design for all while making the world a better place.

PROUD TO BE LEADING A WORKSHOP ON DISABILITY RIGHTS AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR THE ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGIATE SCHOOLS OF PLANNING

I will be presenting on Universal Design in Planning Education, discussing with design for all is the most inclusive, durable, sustainable and equitable approach to city and regional planning.

My wife, Heidi Johnson-Wright, will touch on the history of the Disability Rights Movement and how designing for people with disabilities extends far beyond compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Gala Korniyenko, Graduate Administrative Associate at The Ohio State University, will speak about Accreditation and Disability – disability reporting and inclusion in curriculum.

Mahtot Gebresselassie, PhD, Incoming Postdoctoral Research Associate Carnegie Mellon University, will present on Disability and Future of Mobility and how it applies to planning education and research.

The event will take place virtually:

https://www.acsp.org/page/2021Conf_Glance

ARCHITECTURE THAT IS NOT EQUITABLE, INCLUSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE -- HAS NO PLACE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

SCHOOLS OF ARCHITECTURE MUST TEACH UNIVERSAL DESIGN

For years, we have been saying that there is no reason that modern buildings continue to create barriers for people with disabilities.

For ages, we have marveled at how architects are creative and unburdened when addressing flood plain, windstorm, life safety and myriad other codes, regulations and best practices – but are resistant toward even the most basic Universal Design.

Universal Design is inclusive, equitable and accessible – to all people of all ages and abilities. It is NOT something built just for people with physical, visual, hearing, cognitive or other disabilities.

Now we are sharing this spot-on article from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

Matthew Allen wrote a piece Designing for Disability Justice.

It includes a great quote from Sara Hendrenon, on the barriers of standardization within the subject of disability in design:

“I think the biggest barrier, of course, is the limited imagination that standards tend to create. Because it’s a checklist and a liability matter, the rhetorical framing of disability gets subsumed under that logic: a cloud over the excitement of a project, or a ‘don’t forget’ matter of inclusion.”

Read the full article at:

https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/2021/02/designing-for-disability-justice-on-the-need-to-take-a-variety-of-human-bodies-into-account/