STREET DESIGN: THE SECRET TO GREAT CITIES AND TOWNS

MY EXPERTISE IS CITED IN THE SECOND EDITION

James Dougherty's fabulous and inclusive cover painting

I am gratified to be quoted as an advocate with expertise in Universal Design and mobility for people with disabilities in Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns, 2nd Edition.

I will share my insights, based on working on inclusion and better policy around the world, at a Universal Design summit this fall.

I am honored that my urban/architectural photography is featured in The Art of the New Urbanism Volume 2 published by Wiley.

The book is by James Dougherty, Charles C. Bohl & Victor Dover.

It features my Street Photography from Istanbul, Morocco and Cairo.

I am proud to collaborate with Victor Dover.

He has been a friend and mentor for more than two decades.

He has sought my guidance on matters of Universal Design and Wheelchair Access.

We both are featured in the disability positive film Mark -- A Call to Action:

https://youtu.be/M-TBzsOK5VY?si=knwhkRossJlW7xT-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DOUGLAS ROAD IS A MAJOR CORRIDOR

NARROW SIDEWALKS AND PINCH POINTS DESTROY WHEELCHAIR ACCESS FOR MANY SW 37 AVENUE SEGMENTS BETWEEN CORAL GABLES-MIAMI

After walking 7 blocks on Douglas Road today:

I can confidently say if I am given the choice between 2 days in jail or walking 12 blocks of Douglas & crossing its dangerous traffic 4 times—I’m picking time in the lock up.

Narrow sidewalks.

No shade.

Power polls and other barriers that destroy wheelchair access.

More than 1/3 of people in Miami-Dade County cannot or do not drive.

They deserve a multi mobile experience on this major artery also known as 37th Ave.

Let’s fix this.

The people of Miami and Coral Gables deserve better.

THE CITY OF MIAMI MAY FINALLY TAKE ACTION TO ENSURE SIDEWALKS REMAIN SAFE AND OPEN DURING CONSTRUCTION

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY MUST FOLLOW SUIT, SO MAJOR COUNTY STREETS REMAIN BARRIER FREE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND ALL PEDESTRIANS

I had the privilege of speaking in favor of FR 1 – (Ordinance 19073, to keep sidewalks safe and open during construction) at the Miami City Commission meeting this week.

I applaud Commissioners for creating and sponsoring this legislation.

After serving the District 3 constituents for nearly a decade, my next career direction was marketing urban design and working as a town planner.

My specialty is pedestrian access and mobility for people with disabilities.

Cities that work are cities that remove barriers to pedestrian safety.

Safe sidewalks protect children and elderly while greatly increasing the economic outlook for mom and pop shops, restaurants and services that depend on foot traffic in our urban city.
In my work around the world to promote wheelchair access, I have sadly shown a segment of downtown Miami just west of the World Center where both sides of the street are completely shut down for years of high rise construction.

Out of the 100 cities I have worked in, the both sides blocked – between a billion dollar development and a billion dollar Bright Line Train Transit system – was the worst example of pedestrian safety and mobility for people with disabilities.

Other cities solve this by requiring scaffolding or other ways of keeping sidewalks.
I returned yesterday from work in Manhattan.

I walked past more than 100 construction sites.

100% of the time, the sidewalk was maintained.

Miami MUST match NYC’s success at maintaining pedestrian mobility.

This is crucial for people with disabilities.

People with disabilities are the most under and unemployed of any minority group.

That is NOT because of their disability, it is because of the obstructions that we allow that ruin sidewalk mobility and the access it provides to transit.

Developers may say this is an onerous cost.

I say that anyone who puts the basic human rights and dignity of disabled people to a cost benefit analysis is being shamefully inhumane.

I urge the five Miami City Commissioners to approve this unanimously, when it returns for second reading.

It can be the first step (ticketing and towing cars the perpetually block sidewalks would be another huge boost to safety for disabled veterans and others) toward Miami delivering the mobility its residents deserve.

Read FR 1: https://miamifl.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=14&ID=3893&Inline=True

THE CITY OF MIAMI’S AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTY’S MOBILITY PRIORITIES ARE UPSIDE DOWN AND DO NOT SAFEGUARD PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

LOCAL GOVERNMENT HAS HUNDREDS OF REGULATIONS FOR CARS IN STREETS – BUT WE SHAMEFULLY HAVE VIRTUALLY NO REGULATIONS TO PROTECT PEDESTRIANS ON SIDEWALKS

This is the first delivery bot that I’ve seen that can back up.

When they don’t, it is catastrophic for a wheelchair user. 90% of the bots that I have seen stop when a disabled person approaches.

That blocks essential curb ramps and narrow sidewalks.

The City of Miami, Miami-Dade County and other cities MUST regulate these hogs of the sidewalk bots.

Only those programmed to back up out of the way of people with disabilities should be allowed.

MAINTAINING SIDEWALKS DURING CONSTRUCTION IN THE RIGHT THING TO DO

CLOSING SIDEWALKS FOR YEARS VIOLATES THE ADA AND EVERY MORAL OBLIGATION TO SAFE MOBILITY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES PLUS ALL PEDESTRIANS YOUNG AND OLD

Wide, safe, lit, wheelchair accessible simple scaffolding to keep sidewalks open during construction.

What is so hard about this Miami?

How do we have this perfect solution by Flagler St. — then allow both sides of the street to be closed a few blocks north?

I am at a total loss for why Miami officials do not require scaffolding to maintain sidewalks during years of development construction.

Most solutions require tens of millions of dollars.

This requires zero. 

HONORED TO HAVE 3 MILLION BLOG READERS

I HAVE SHARED MY UNIVERSAL DESIGN EXPERTISE BY POSTING ON MY BLOG 365 DAYS PER YEAR FOR MORE THAN ONE DOZEN YEARS

Universal Design in Avila, Spain

As an award-winning storyteller, I am proud that my humble blog has had more than 3 million unique visitors over its lifetime.

Recently, it has been getting 25,000 to 50,000 readers per day.

Wheelchair Accessibility consulting in Madrid Spain

My posts would fill the equivalent of 12 full nonfiction books.

I have successfully transitioned from an expert writer on planning…to an acclaimed planner focused on Universal Design, Inclusive Mobility and Aging in Place.

Universal Design Work in Madrid Spain

I still write.

I published independent journalism.

And I work as a marketer for a select few planning, architecture and transportation engineering firms that believe in Design for All and creating a better built environment for all ages, incomes and abilities.

Universal Design Work in Segovia Spain

The urban designer part of me has delivered keynote addresses at global gatherings of planners, engineers, architects and others who work on quality of life at a community and regional level.

I have also teamed with some of the best urban design and mobility firms to work as a subconsultant on Universal Design plus wheelchair access.

Inclusive Mobility consulting in Toledo Spain

I hope to soon announce a major collaboration with one of the best downtown development authorities in the nation.

Stay tuned.

https://urbantravelandaccessibility.blogspot.com/

AS DEMAND TO AGE IN PLACE SOARS, SENIOR CITIZENS ARE SEEKING MORE WALKABILITY AND DIVERSE HOUSING TYPES

A TREND THAT ALSO SERVES PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OF ALL AGES

RESOURCES

8 80 Cities https://www.880cities.org

AARP Livability Index https://livabilityindex.aarp.org

AARP Future of Housing https://futureofhousing.aarp.org

American Planning Association https://www.planning.org/resources/equity

Wheel Pad https://www.wheelpad.com

Jeff Speck https://www.jeffspeck.com

New York Academy of Medicine/Age Friendly NYC http://imagenyc.nyam.org

Project for Public Spaces https://www.pps.org

LCM Architects https://www.lcmarchitects.com

AS DEMAND TO AGE IN PLACE SOARS, SENIOR CITIZENS ARE SEEKING MORE WALKABILITY AND DIVERSE HOUSING TYPES

A TREND THAT ALSO SERVES PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OF ALL AGES

Steven Montgomery is an Accessibility Specialist at Chicago-based LCM Architects, noted while longevity puts pressure on assisted living and skilled care (because people entering these care settings are doing so at a much later age) it seems to suggest that it may provide new opportunities for independent senior housing.”

“As for the built environment, universal design is the best option to facilitate aging in place,” Montgomery said.

“Because it is intentional by design to permit the widest range of users, including accommodation of future functional impairments, often associated with the aging process.”

AS DEMAND TO AGE IN PLACE SOARS, SENIOR CITIZENS ARE SEEKING MORE WALKABILITY AND DIVERSE HOUSING TYPES

A TREND THAT ALSO SERVES PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OF ALL AGES

Steven Montgomery is an Accessibility Specialist at Chicago-based LCM Architects, an ADA/accessibility and universal design consulting firm.

He said while there still is a market for active lifestyle retirement communities, the aging Baby Boomer population is “markedly more independent and increasingly more urban than the generation that preceded them.”

“The trend of delayed entry into senior settings is likely to continue as those in retirement hope to extend their independence even longer,” he said.

 

 

 

AS DEMAND TO AGE IN PLACE SOARS, SENIOR CITIZENS ARE SEEKING MORE WALKABILITY AND DIVERSE HOUSING TYPES

A TREND THAT ALSO SERVES PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OF ALL AGES

“One of the key risk factors for health – both psychological and physical -- is social isolation,” said Meg Walker, a Placemaking Consultant and Community Strategist and Professor at Pratt Institute.

Getting out is so important for seniors.

They need to be near a park, a grocery, a library, a place to meet other people.

We need to make more areas walkable, parks more inviting, universal design applied to all civic space – we need to make places for people.”

Walker sees a trend across the nation of people selling big houses in the suburbs and into cities, downtowns and missed use developments alive with amenities and activity.

AS DEMAND TO AGE IN PLACE SOARS, SENIOR CITIZENS ARE SEEKING MORE WALKABILITY AND DIVERSE HOUSING TYPES

A TREND THAT ALSO SERVES PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OF ALL AGES

Meg Walker is a Placemaking Consultant and Community Strategist and Professor at Pratt Institute.

She shared her insights when she was Senior Vice President of the New York-based planning non-profit Project for Public Spaces,

Walker has dedicated much of her career – as a planner, educator and elected official – to making streets and public spaces more walkable for human beings.

She said once the temporary need for social distancing has passed, planning for inclusive communities will be a key to supporting an aging population.

 

AS DEMAND TO AGE IN PLACE SOARS, SENIOR CITIZENS ARE SEEKING MORE WALKABILITY AND DIVERSE HOUSING TYPES

A TREND THAT ALSO SERVES PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OF ALL AGES

Lindsay Goldman is the Chief Executive Officer at Grantmakers In Aging (GIA), said data is very important for cities to track needs. NYAM has created Age-Friendly NYC, an interactive online map that tracks aging in New York.

It is a tool for planning, public works, transit and other officials to best spend on resources for walkability, transit and other amenities that better serve concentrations of aging populations and people with disabilities.

AS DEMAND TO AGE IN PLACE SOARS, SENIOR CITIZENS ARE SEEKING MORE WALKABILITY AND DIVERSE HOUSING TYPES

A TREND THAT ALSO SERVES PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OF ALL AGES

Lindsay Goldman is the Chief Executive Officer at Grantmakers In Aging (GIA), said consumer demand will help drive the housing industry to create homes that are more accessible and adaptable.

Goldman said cities are adapting by creating online and 311-type call centers where residents can report broken sidewalks and other barriers to safe walkability.

 

AS DEMAND TO AGE IN PLACE SOARS, SENIOR CITIZENS ARE SEEKING MORE WALKABILITY AND DIVERSE HOUSING TYPES

A TREND THAT ALSO SERVES PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OF ALL AGES

Lindsay Goldman is the Chief Executive Officer at Grantmakers In Aging (GIA), She shared insights when she was Director, Healthy Aging, New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM).

She said Realtors are specializing in finding housing for people who want to downsize while aging in place in their community. 

AS DEMAND TO AGE IN PLACE SOARS, SENIOR CITIZENS ARE SEEKING MORE WALKABILITY AND DIVERSE HOUSING TYPES

A TREND THAT ALSO SERVES PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OF ALL AGES 

Jeff Speck, leader of Brookline, MA-based Speck Dempsey, emphasized the value of an ADU with an anecdote about an older woman who built a house with an ADU in Kentlands in Gaithersburg, MD.

“She lived in the granny flat (ADU), rented out the house and covered her mortgage with the house rent -- thus living for free,” Speck said.

AS DEMAND TO AGE IN PLACE SOARS, SENIOR CITIZENS ARE SEEKING MORE WALKABILITY AND DIVERSE HOUSING TYPES

A TREND THAT ALSO SERVES PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OF ALL AGES 

An advocate of the ADU since the 1980s, Jeff Speck, leader of Brookline, MA-based Speck Dempsey,  predicts exponential growth of them.

They are solution to affordable housing, aging in place and adding gentle density to neighborhoods already served by urban amenities.

 

AS DEMAND TO AGE IN PLACE SOARS, SENIOR CITIZENS ARE SEEKING MORE WALKABILITY AND DIVERSE HOUSING TYPES

A TREND THAT ALSO SERVES PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OF ALL AGES

Jeff Speck, leader of Brookline, MA-based Speck Dempsey, notes the Naturally Occurring Retirement Community – places in hundreds of medium- and large-sized cities with a high concentration of older residents drawn to the conveniences that walkable urbanism provides.

“The walkable city is also the rollable city, and making it more rollable (for people with disabilities) makes it more walkable,” he said. 

 

AS DEMAND TO AGE IN PLACE SOARS, SENIOR CITIZENS ARE SEEKING MORE WALKABILITY AND DIVERSE HOUSING TYPES

A TREND THAT ALSO SERVES PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OF ALL AGES

Jeff Speck leads Brookline, MA-based Speck Dempsey and is a planner who has authored several acclaimed books including Walkable City Rules: 101 Steps to Making Better Places.

“Older Americans seeking to relocate face an important choice when it comes to their next home: a suburban residential community or a walkable urban neighborhood.

Which one they chose will have a large impact on whether their daily lives are more sedentary and isolated, or more active, social, and fulfilling,”

Speck wrote in an article for AARP that pointedly details the shortcomings of the car-dependent, age-restricted community that is an anomaly of the second half of the 20th century.  

UNIVERSAL DESIGN IS MY PASSION

I AM HONORED TO COLLABORATE WITH IRIS PROPESCU,

A PH.D. ARCHITECT FOCUSED ON BUILDING INCLUSION

Iris Popescu, a Fulbright Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, interviewed me for 2 hours, covering my Universal Design work.

I hope to someday guest lecture at MIT with colleague Iris Popescu.

Her mission statement on her building inclusion work matches my passion for Universal Design.

"I am an architect specialised in inclusive design and a firm believer that in order to improve the built environment, reduce the inequalities and exclusion caused by it, we first need to change mentalities regarding accessibility, disability and human diversity." -- Iris Popescu, PHD Arch.

https://irispopescu.com

AS DEMAND TO AGE IN PLACE SOARS, SENIOR CITIZENS ARE SEEKING MORE WALKABILITY AND DIVERSE HOUSING TYPES

A TREND THAT ALSO SERVES PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES OF ALL AGES

Architect Julie Lineberger President of the Wilmington, VT-based Wheel Pad firm, is developing a stand-alone unit with a kitchen that would be about 300 square feet.

“Aside from family members bringing their loved ones into their own home with a Wheel Pad, there are additional uses,’’ she said.

“A couple who want to age in place in their own home is using Wheel Pad for a live-in aide (quarters).

Another is Wheel Pad as an ADU, renting it for additional income (that can cover the cost of adaptations to the main house, or personal care aides),” she said.