Urban Travel, Sustainability & Accessibility: American Planning Association

Showing posts with label American Planning Association. Show all posts

Saturday, September 7, 2024

AGING IN PLACE

UNIVERSAL ACCESS DESIGNS

I was gratified to join David Haight and Laura Streed this week to open the 2024 Florida Planning Conference in Tampa.

More than 1,000 professional planners attended the American Planning Association’s statewide event.

Our Aging in Place: Universal Access Designs presentation drew a standing room only crowd and much applause.

Florida’s population is aging.

By 2050, Florida is forecasted to grow by 5.4 million persons.

Federal studies show that one in four people will experience disability in their lifetime.

When neighborhoods are welcoming and comfortable for a wheelchair user, they function for people of all ages.

Ninety percent of retirees want to age in place, however less than one percent of all housing contains any universal design elements.

Over a million disabled people over 65 live in inaccessible homes.

We presented examples of neighborhood and housing designs that ensure people of all ages and abilities can thrive in their community.

Saturday, May 25, 2024

PROUD TO BE A LEADER IN EDUCATING PLANNERS

ABOUT UNIVERSAL DESIGN AND AGING IN PLACE

I am gratified to be speaking on: Aging in Place: Universal Access Designs, at the 2024 Florida Planning Conference.

I spoke on a similar topic at the national conference of the American Planning Association two years ago.

I will be joined by acclaimed colleagues Laura Street, Associate State Director - Advocacy and Livable Communities at AARP, and David Haight, FAICP, LEED AP ND, Transportation Planner/Urban Designer, AtkinsRéalis.

I am the nation’s leading Subject Matter Expert on creating a better built environment for people with disabilities.

I give passionate keynote speeches and lead inclusive workshops and walking tours that focus on efficient, low-cost improvements that remove barriers to those who use wheelchairs for mobility.

Saturday, June 10, 2023

THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE

UNIVERSAL DESIGN AND THE AIA

I have worked for more than a decade to get AIA continuing credit for my Universal Design presentation.

The American Planning Association has done so, but this is the first by the American Institute of Architects.

A full hour credit for my 55-minute program.

https://www.aia.org/events/6634919-fifth-annual-absolutely-accessible-kent-te

Friday, June 17, 2022

MOBILITY MATTERS: MISTAKES YOU DON’T WANT TO MAKE

PROUD TO FOCUS ON MICROMOBILITY FOR THIS PRESENTATION AT THE AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2022 IN SAN DIEGO

Creating an inclusive and accessible environment requires more than adhering to basic ADA requirements, avoiding ableist terminology, or providing closed captioning for city meetings.

These actions are important, but local governments must be dedicated to widespread accessibility and mobility.

Otherwise, micromobility for some — like scooters — creates outright travel hazards for more vulnerable pathway users.

Examine these and other common mistakes in planning for accessibility and learn how local governments can adopt a more comprehensive approach to accessible transportation and mobility for people with disabilities.

Friday, June 3, 2022

NO PERSON LEFT BEHIND: TRULY INCLUSIVE DESIGN

PROUD TO ANCHOR THIS PRESENTATION AT THE AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2022 IN SAN DIEGO

People with limited abilities are often "designed out" of places, events, and activities.

Three decades after adoption of the ADA, the COVID-19 pandemic emphasized the need for planning for inclusion and equitable access and accepting the challenges of safely separating users and uses.

COVID’s silver lining may be renewed emphasis on safer pedestrian travel, transit, and more open outdoor-recreation spaces.

Mobility remains a sometimes-insurmountable challenge for people with disabilities.

Scooters, bikes, and utilities often block wheelchair users and trip blind people.

Transit access depends on compliant sidewalks with clear paths to accessible stops.

Ride-share, mobility, and other first mile/last mile “solutions” are not accessible to wheelchair users and many other disabled folks.

There are always challenges to providing elegant designs that retrofit existing and historic buildings and sites.

Often, the only (inequitable) solutions offered put accessibility features in the back.

After thirty years of halfway accessibility solutions, it is time for planners to address equity and inclusion challenges.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

CAN CARS AND PEDESTRIANS SAFELY SHARE A MIAMI STREET?

WYNWOOD WILL SOON FIND OUT

A rendering of a concept for a woonerf in a new pedestrian friendly zoning district in eastern Hialeah. PlusUrbia

Can the woonerf concept stand up to the belligerent carelessness of so many Miami motorists? Experts say the devil is in the design details, but woonerfs have proven themselves all over the world, and are increasingly popping up in U.S. cities.

It does require care and alertness by all users, but that’s why the woonerf works, they say. Beyond some basic principles, their design can be tailored to local circumstances.

“There’s no real guidelines for what a woonerf needs to be, so you can be creative,” said Juan Mullerat, principal at Coconut Grove-based urban design firm PlusUrbia, which first came up with the idea for a Wynwood woonerf when it drew up a new zoning plan for the burgeoning hipster district.

“The idea is slow cars down and provide an equal use of the street.”

--Excerpt from Miami Herald story by Andres Viglucci.

full story here

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

PERILS FOR PEDESTRIANS -- A GREAT SITE FIGHTING FOR OUR SAFETY

VISIT JOHN WETMORE'S INFORMATIVE SITE AT WWW.PEDESTRIANS.ORG

The image above shows that while sidewalk cafes are great, they can encroach on the mobility for a people with a disability.

John Wetmore has dedicated countless hours to documenting the insanity that engineers, architects, planners and public works officials create for people just trying to go about their lives on foot.

His YouTube Channel shows far too many intersections where the car is king and the pedestrian must have a death wish to cross -- even with the protection of a red light for traffic and a "walk" sign for peds.

The tide has seemed to turn in favor of pedestrian, bike and wheelchair mobility. But it will take decades for cities, counties and states to redesign streetscapes to give pedestrians a fighting chance against the almighty speeding vehicle.

John Wetmore is working daily to make life better. His understanding of all the obstructions, lack of maintenance and fuzzy design that prevents wheelchair users from enjoying the barrier-free mobility that they deserve on our sidewalks, especially in urban areas.

http://www.pedestrians.org/

The images shows how poorly maintained sidewalks -- maybe the city should have gone with cement instead of hard-to-replace and maintain pavers -- can spell doom for a blind or visually impaired person.