UNIVERSAL DESIGN:

THE ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR INTERGENERATIONAL COMMUNITIES

REALTORS® understand the importance of Universal Design.

In Illinois, the Heartland REALTOR® Organization used a $15,000 housing opportunity grant from the NAR and partnered with the city of Woodstock, Ill., the Woodstock Community Unit School District 200 and Illinois REALTORS® to build a prototype model home.

It will incorporate Universal Design elements that will be used as a national model to educate communities about building with “Universal Design from the ground up.”

Upon completion, tours of the home’s features will be promoted to the public.

The prototype is being used to ignite interest in new inventory for homes that are designed to allow aging in place.

The project has drawn interest from AARP and Metropolitan Mayors Caucus.

 

UNIVERSAL DESIGN:

THE ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR INTERGENERATIONAL COMMUNITIES

More aggressive policing of blocked sidewalks and bike lanes is a simple policy change.

Calming traffic can be achieved with restriping and simple redesign. Visitability simply requires a change in code.

Paying for retrofitting housing for accessibility can be folded into standard economic development incentives that virtually all cities offer.

Transit training can be refocused to ensure drivers are serving disabled passengers safely.

Adding elevators to century-old transit systems is expensive, but there are billions in federal dollars available for this.

 

UNIVERSAL DESIGN:

THE ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR INTERGENERATIONAL COMMUNITIES

In less dense cities, the problem often is a lack of accessible/protected-from-the-elements bus stops.

And if a bus driver is not well trained in deploying lifts or in safely using tie downs for those in assistive mobility devices, the benefits of rapid transit are destroyed for the 80 million people with a disability in the United States.

Without transit, multiple generations cannot connect to exchange ideas, gather healthy food, keep fit or break the boundaries of isolation.

Simply taking away benches along streets, in an ill-intended attempt to reduce use by homeless people, can prevent an elderly person from staying healthy by walking a half dozen blocks to the library, grocery store or neighborhood shop.

People cannot age in place if their housing, sidewalks, transit, parks and civic buildings exclude them.

Children cannot safely move about the community independently if sidewalks are blocked by parked cars, bike lanes are blocked by delivery trucks and streets are too dangerous to cross because of speeding traffic.

 

 

UNIVERSAL DESIGN:

THE ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR INTERGENERATIONAL COMMUNITIES

Transit must be frequent and accessible.

Author Anna Zivarts’ research has proven that up to one-third of people do not drive.

When Driving Is Not an Option -- Steering Away from Car Dependency is the Island Press book by Zivarts.

Transit can provide mobility for people too young to drive, too old to drive, unable to drive or unable to afford a car.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of older subway stations in New York and elevated trains in Chicago do not have elevators for access.

This makes essential transit off limits not only to wheelchair users, but those who cannot walk tons of steps because of respiratory or pulmonary issues, bad joints or even young children who can’t negotiate stairs.

UNIVERSAL DESIGN:

THE ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR INTERGENERATIONAL COMMUNITIES

When it comes to housing, less than one percent of it is move-in ready for a wheelchair user—and most of that is in multifamily buildings.

Eleanor Smith created Visitability, a concept for accessible housing and for creating a community where people with disabilities can visit their neighbors, a huge factor in creating a cohesive multigenerational neighborhood.

It simply requires a level entrance, accessible bathroom on the first floor and space to maneuver around a kitchen.
It still allows all kinds of unique details and multistory, single-family homes.

Cities that have enacted Visitability have NOT seen a decrease in housing development despite pushback from builders.

Creating accessibility in multifamily buildings can begin with an entrance not obstructed by bikes or scooters, a large elevator and a roll-in/walk-in shower instead of a tub.

Most hip hotel chains aimed at savvy young business travelers have walk-in showers instead of tubs.

This means Universal Design can equal high design, NOT dreary old hospital architecture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNIVERSAL DESIGN:

THE ESSENTIAL TOOL FOR INTERGENERATIONAL COMMUNITIES

The late architect, planner and leader Ron Mace created Universal Design as an approach to places and products that make life easier and more inclusive to everybody.

While Mace used a wheelchair for mobility, he very intentionally did NOT call his creation disability design or wheelchair access design.

That’s because a barrier-free built environment works for everybody.

Wide sidewalks with no speed limit signs or utility poles plopped down in the center of them serve everybody of every age.

A street with curb ramps and level entrances to buildings makes life inclusive for people with mobility disabilities but it also makes life easy for those pushing strollers.

A crossing time longer than the standard 30 seconds—to make it safely past four or six lanes of traffic—saves the life of a child who hesitates or bolts away from mom as much as it provides more protection for a wheelchair user rolling to work.

Some cities are raising crosswalks, so they are level with the sidewalk on both sides of the street.

This not only makes it easier for the one in four people that have some level of disability, but it also forces speeding cars to slow down and obey a stop sign or red light.

GROUNDBREAKING UNIVERSAL DESIGN COURSE TEAM TAUGHT BY HUSBAND-WIFE DUO

DEBUTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

“For centuries, everything from a home entrance step to park benches has been designed for a 5-foot-10 able-bodied male, an approach that excludes the majority of people,” Johnson-Wright said.

“Less than one percent of all housing in the U.S. is readily accessible to people who use wheelchairs. 

That's why we must create architecture, planning and design usable by everyone to the greatest extent possible without adaptation or specialization.”

GROUNDBREAKING UNIVERSAL DESIGN COURSE TEAM TAUGHT BY HUSBAND-WIFE DUO

 DEBUTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

The late architect and planner Ronald L. Mace, FAIA, founder of the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University, coined the term universal design.

He defined it as "the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design."

GROUNDBREAKING UNIVERSAL DESIGN COURSE TEAM TAUGHT BY HUSBAND-WIFE DUO

 DEBUTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

"This is the fulfillment of a dream, the fruits of a decade of labor researching, exploring and building a course for a school of architecture,” Steve Wright said.

“The COVID pandemic has proven that the way we build and plan our environment MUST be safe, accessible and inclusive for all. 

We are eternally grateful for U-SoA Dean Rodolphe el-Khoury’s leadership in making this unique course a reality.”

The Wrights are donating 100 percent of their pay to support further outreach and education about Universal Design on a global scale. 

Funds will be used for travel expenses that support pro bono presentations on design for all at planning, architecture, urban design, engineering and similar placemaking conferences, conventions and symposiums.

GROUNDBREAKING UNIVERSAL DESIGN COURSE TEAM TAUGHT BY HUSBAND-WIFE DUO

 DEBUTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

"The course belongs to U-SoA's long tradition of community building. It sustains its commitment to diversity and inclusion and ensures that U-SoA graduates are prepared for the evolving social and cultural landscape,” said Dean Rodolphe el-Khoury.

Universal Design is extremely relevant because the United Nations has identified more than one billion people in the world have disabilities and Centers for Disease Control research has proven that one in four people in the United States will experience some form of disability.

GROUNDBREAKING UNIVERSAL DESIGN COURSE TEAM TAUGHT BY HUSBAND-WIFE DUO

DEBUTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

Johnson-Wright has used a wheelchair for mobility for 40 years and brings her practical experience as well as her 30+ years of professional expertise to the classroom.

Wright is America’s go-to journalist for reporting on architecture, town planning, mobility engineering and urban policy – as they relate to people with disabilities and access for all.

GROUNDBREAKING UNIVERSAL DESIGN COURSE TEAM TAUGHT BY HUSBAND-WIFE DUO

 DEBUTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

Steve Wright, an award-winning journalist and marketer, and Heidi Johnson-Wright, a lifelong public servant and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) expert, have teamed up to teach a course this semester at U-SoA. 

The course focuses on Universal Design – a concept that is essential to creating access for people with disabilities, but also adds comfort and ease of use for all.

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.

UNIVERSAL DESIGN: PUBLIC SPACES FOR ALL -- 19

Resources:

• Brooklyn Bridge Park: www.brooklynbridgepark.org/pages/accessibility

• Liquid Planning Detroit: www.made-studio.org/liquid-planning-detroit

• Washington Monument: www.nps.gov/wamo/index.htm

• Bryant Park: www.bryantpark.org

• Millennium Park:  www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/millennium_park.html

• Always a Dream Play Park:  www.playgroundsforeveryone.com/playground/always-dream-play-park-at-central-park-alameda-ca.html

• Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates: www.mvvainc.com

• HNTB: www.hntb.com

• MAde Studio: www.made-studio.org

• The Olin Studio: www.theolinstudio.com

• Denise Arnold: www.linkedin.com/pub/denise-arnold/3/b13/621

• Krueck and Sexton Architects: www.ksarch.com

• MIG: www.migcom.com

Wright, president of Steve Wright Marketing Communications, injects storytelling and inclusive design into the marketing of architecture, town planning, civil engineering, landscape architecture and related professional services. He can be reached at stevewright64@yahoo.com

UNIVERSAL DESIGN: PUBLIC SPACES FOR ALL -- 18

BERKELEY

Goltsman and MIG fellow partner Tim Gilbert, MIG’s director of Universal Design Services, both are active in the re:Streets project, a movement to design complete streets that accommodate people of all ages and abilities. 

After decades of streets being designed to serve only automobiles — at the peril of pedestrians — re:Streets aims to add bike paths, wide sidewalks and other mobility 

enhancements that safely serve children, people with disabilities and elderly folks on foot.

Goltsman, like many forward-looking architects and landscape designers, believes in creating public spaces that are friendly, inclusive, and aesthetically pleasing to everyone. 

And in the re:Streets Project, this begins with providing safer, more accessible streetscapes, another huge issue that can be solved by Universal Design.

UNIVERSAL DESIGN: PUBLIC SPACES FOR ALL -- 17

ALWAYS A DREAM PLAY PARK

MIG has designed dozens of barrier-free parks and written accessible recreation guidelines for several agencies. One of its more recent projects was the one-acre Always a Dream Play Park in Fremont, Calif., funded by Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream Foundation.

The park has rubber mounds that a wheelchair user can navigate, as well as a small hill that can be traversed via gentle slopes.

“We like topography because it adds a different dimension to the environment,” Goltsman says of the park that integrates universal design into misters, water cannon play areas, swings with enhanced back support and a big slide.

 “We always try to get kids as high as we can, so they can roll onto bridges, ramps and other features.”

UNIVERSAL DESIGN: PUBLIC SPACES FOR ALL -- 16

MIG

Berkeley-based MIG was founded in 1982 to focus on planning, designing and sustaining environments that support human development, so it is natural that inclusivity is ingrained in the firm’s DNA.

“Our designs have always been for everybody, so it wasn’t a difficult stretch when Ron Mace came out with universal design,” says firm co-founder Susan Goltsman, who sat on the Federal Access Board and helped to develop ADA guidelines for children’s environments.

UNIVERSAL DESIGN: PUBLIC SPACES FOR ALL -- 15

DENISE ARNOLD, ARCHITECT

To Arnold, who also worked to place wheelchair-accessible beach mats that lead directly into Lake Michigan in several Chicago city parks, universal design is a must.

“It’s about quality of life and being able to participate in the urban realm that’s part of an integrated life and not being excluded or ostracized,” she says. 

“It’s about approaching design in a way where you’re inclusive from the start.”

UNIVERSAL DESIGN: PUBLIC SPACES FOR ALL -- 14

CATALAN ARTIST JAUME PLENSA

“The fountain is the coolest thing in the world, and the reflecting pool has no more than a quarter-inch lip at any place,” Arnold says of the grand piece of usable public art.

“The fountain has giant glass block towers where water spouts 12 feet high off the ground and comes down on kids. It is a completely accessible mini-water park. 

You see people of all abilities running around that fountain and playing in it.”

UNIVERSAL DESIGN: PUBLIC SPACES FOR ALL -- 13

CHICAGO

“My office saw the original plan with grand staircases and other barriers to mobility and said ‘no way are you going to build a big park in downtown Chicago with stairs that are not accessible to people with disabilities,’” says Denise Arnold, a private practice architect and inclusive design specialist who worked for Chicago’s large and influential Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities while Millennium Park was being developed.

The Crown Fountain, designed by Catalan artist Jaume Plensa and executed by Krueck and Sexton Architects of Chicago, is composed of a black granite reflecting pool placed between a pair of 50-foot glass brick towers that display digital videos on their inward faces.