ALL URBAN DESIGN SHOULD BE HUMAN-CENTERED

UNIVERSAL DESIGN IS THE PATH TO ACHIEVING IT

One of the problems is recruiting and retaining people with disabilities in the urban design and related professions.

I have worked directly with well more than 2,000 planners, architects and engineers – those who create virtually all of the built environment.

Few if any have had a wheelchair user on their full-time staff. 2

If I met a person with a mobility impairment, it was a temporary one from a skiing accident…meaning they would not have to find permanent accessible housing, transportation, recreation, jobsite and much more. 

Perhaps there were some people with invisible disabilities, such as epilepsy.

That is good for diversity, but how can you know what is really needed to thrive with a disability, if you are basing your design on a 60 minute ADA webinar you half paid attention to or a 75 minute continuing education Universal Design course that you used to catch up on texts and emails?

 

 

 

 

ALL URBAN DESIGN SHOULD BE HUMAN-CENTERED

UNIVERSAL DESIGN IS THE PATH TO ACHIEVING IT

Ever go to the opening ceremony for a new community pool, computer lab, daycare, gym, library?

Guaranteed the mayor and city manager will brag about it being state of the art, best of the best.

Ask about the plans for a rebuilding a sidewalk broken by tree roots and heavy trucks and city leadership will speak of just meeting ADA compliance by a hairbreadth.  

See the difference? 

Even when pressed, they say the disability community should be thrilled if one tenth of the public realm is accessible at a bare minimum.

If they broke their leg, would they like the doctor to toss a bandage and two aspirins at them and walk away satisfied that bare minimum medical treatment was delivered?

 

 

THERE IS NO DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

WITHOUT DISABILITY

I support Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 100% 

Sadly, 90% of the time I am bitterly disappointed because those framing it completely exclude disability.

I met with a VP of DEI from a major university.

They point blank said disability won't be part of its DEI for foreseeable future.

The blatant exclusion of disability from DEI -- MUST be fixed.

People with disabilities are by far the most under and unemployed of all marginalized groups.

Not because of their disability, but because of structural ableism.

UNIVERSAL DESIGN IS THE PATH TO ACHIEVING IT

UNIVERSAL DESIGN IS THE PATH TO ACHIEVING IT

If the sidewalk network and/or transit station (think of hundreds of New York subway stations and Chicago elevated trains without elevators) is not inclusive, a person with a disability may not be able to make it to an essential appointment for a health checkup or treatment.

Urban Design that fails to create inclusive parks and recreation can create social isolation.

Social isolation is one of the biggest contributors to the decline in mental and physical health in senior citizens and people with disabilities.

In most states, the departments of transportation allow just one curbramp at the extreme corner of an intersection.

It does not line up with crosswalk or sidewalk.

This means a person using a wheelchair has to partially roll out into oncoming traffic.

The best practice is a beveled curb ramp covering the entirety of all four corners of an intersection. 

This is another case of minimum ADA compliance NOT being a best practices approach to urban design.

Never design at the bare minimum 1 to 12 grade for accessibility ramps. 

If the builder misses the mark by a little bit, the ramp is too steep. If the ground settles a tad, the ramp may not be safe for people with disabilities.

 

 

ALL URBAN DESIGN SHOULD BE HUMAN-CENTERED

UNIVERSAL DESIGN IS THE PATH TO ACHIEVING IT

Disability discrimination is called ableism. 

Ableism is devaluing a person with a disability because they are disabled. It is exactly like racism, which devalues on skin color and culture.

Both are indefensible and sometimes lethal.

It can be as simple as sidewalks.

If a city fails to maintain broken sidewalks and fill in missing parts, a person with a disability is forced to go out into the street to continue their journey to a transit station. 

Pedestrian deaths are almost constantly on the rise, so putting more people into danger’s path is very bad planning.

 

 

 

 

ALL URBAN DESIGN SHOULD BE HUMAN-CENTERED

UNIVERSAL DESIGN IS THE PATH TO ACHIEVING IT

It is incredible that virtually every prototype for robotaxis and driverless public transportation vehicles – is a sedan that cannot accommodate a wheelchair users.

Even companies that boast they are creating the transportation of the future for all, push back on accessible vehicles.

They basically say, let us figure this out for a decade, then we’ll include power wheelchair users. 

Can you imagine saying “we won’t let people of color in this park for a decade, till we perfect it.

Or, well, we won’t seat women in this performing arts center for about a dozen years, till we get the operation going perfectly.

There would be outrage.

As well there should be.

But create the vehicle of the future, and you apparently get to discriminate.

ALL URBAN DESIGN SHOULD BE HUMAN-CENTERED

UNIVERSAL DESIGN IS THE PATH TO ACHIEVING IT

For those hardline fiscal folks unconvinced of spending to make every mode of transportation accessible (including taxis, rideshare, autonomous fleet vehicles and airport shuttles), check out this fact. 

A 2020 study by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency found that for every dollar spent on home repair (to make it more accessible for aging and disability), there were $19 in Medicare savings.

If we invest in accessible transportation, sidewalks, parks, shops, housing, schools and more – we get a huge return on investment.