FROM DEI TO ROI

REBRANDING THE ENDLESS BENEFITS OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN 

IN AN ERA OF POLITICAL PUSHBACK

Proud to be speaking at Universal Design Summit 8, by Starkloff Disability Institute.

The global event brings 200+ architects, engineers, interior designers, OTs, disability advocates together for 3 days of keynotes, breakouts, tours of St. Louis sites that put Universal Design into practice.

Join my session this month: “From DEI to ROI: Rebranding the endless benefits of universal design in an era of political pushback."

Let’s design spaces that work better for everybody. Get your #UDS8 tickets: https://starkloff.org/uds8

PARIS’ METRO SHOULD BE WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

THE WEALTHY CITY MUST DEDICATE MONEY TO RETROFITTING THE OLD BUT ESSENTIAL SYSTEM

Like most visitors, I love using the Paris Metro system.

Locals don’t just love it – they depend on transit to get to work, school, healthcare and much more.

I encourage city leaders to increase wheelchair access for tenfold.

I’m tired of the worn out excuse that buses are accessible, so the subway does not need to be.

It can easily take an hour by bus to cover a distance that only takes 10 or 12 minutes by Metro.

That is not equality.

You would think in a city where the mayor and a significant number of mayors of the 20 arrondissements are socialists, they would wisely invest billions in tourism revenues to solve the social problem of grossly unequal mobility for wheelchair users and others with disabilities.

HOPEFULLY, THE BEING HEUMANN BIO FILM ON JUDITH HEUMANN WILL RAISE DISABILITY AWARENESS

WE NEED MORE DEPICTION OF DISABILITY IN THE PERFORMING ARTS

Would love to know the story behind this live play at Theatre Antoine in Paris.

I certainly enjoy disability inclusion in the performing arts.

AIRLINES HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO TO TRULY SERVE WHEELCHAIR USERS

AIRPORTS MUST ACCOMMODATE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Gratified to see well-displayed disability services hubs in each terminal at Orly Airport Paris.

I have seen the same, as well as very accessible restrooms at Charles de Gaulle airport Paris.

Kudos.

PUBLIC TRANSIT IS A GAME CHANGER FOR MOBILITY, HOUSING, EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, RECREATION AND QUALITY OF LIFE METRO SYSTEMS MUST ACCOMMODATE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

METRO SYSTEMS MUST ACCOMMODATE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES 

Glad to see poster (on Paris M14 line to Orly Airport) supporting wheelchair access on train transit.

Sadly, a tiny fraction of other Metro lines have elevator access. I hope transit operator/authority RATP and IDFmobiilites improve this.

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort is not in the town center, but around Dampoort station, there are a half dozen or so Turkish and Middle Eastern pita shops, restaurants and bakeries.

Some reviewers have said the neighborhood looks seedy.

It is not polished, but it is growing area and I never felt like I needed to take anything but public transit and foot power – even when I arrived around 11 p.m.

Buying tickets for local buses and intercity trains is very easy online.

You can go to famous Bruges or the Flanders part of northern France for less than $10 one way, when you buy a 6 euro plus pass and book off times (basically not rush hour).

The areas around the fabled towers and historic monuments of Gent can be a bit noisy, so I found the Dampoort location to be quiet and peaceful.

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

The main street where Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort is located is a bit gritty.

It’s a dockland area that clearly soon will be a hipster area, as a hip office building has been built nearby, condos are going up and some older buildings are prime for renovation.

The walk along the waterfront feels safe.

It is well lit.

You walk past live aboard moored boats, open fields ready for redevelopment on them, then some preserved heavy dock equipment, an urban skate park and ultimately a pedestrian bridge that leads to a food hall and retail – about 20 minutes from the hotel.

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort had tons of amenities – work out area, games to play, warm lobby, outdoor patio and a full restaurant and bar.

The lobby featured the famous Adagio offering of tons of things to buy for the room – from Belgian beer to microwave dishes to snacks to toothpaste and other items. 

All items are priced more than a store, but not at a gouging rate.

 

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort is about a 5 minute walk from a bus terminal next to Dampoort station

Theses buses will take you very close to the town center as well as other interesting parts of Gent.

I used this as a base for nearly a week in Belgium and I would highly recommend it for that.

I slept like a baby.

The room was well soundproofed and my request to have a unit away from the very busy 4-lane road that the hotel sits on was honored.

 

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

The nights at Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort were quiet, the bed was comfy, the bathroom was luxurious and the shower had lots of warm water.

A beer on the waterfront patio from the Hotel’s Eat In restaurant was great and one day I fueled up on the breakfast buffet.

It is a 10 minute walk to restaurants and shops and only a 20 minute walk to the center of lively and historic Gent.

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO ACCESS GENT CENTRUM DAMPOORT

MODERN LODGING WITH TRANSIT ACCESS TO ALL OF BELGIUM

Aparthotel Adagio Access Gent Centrum Dampoort is a fabulous property.

It is well managed – I asked for extra bed sheets, help with the non-functioning AC and dead battery room safe and go help in less than 30 minutes.

The property is 10 minutes from Dampoort Rail Station – I used it for low cost, high speed rail connections to Antwerp, Mechelen, Brussels, Bruges and Lille, France.

There is a large Carrefour  grocery store very close to Dampoort Station and I used it to buy breakfast and snack food foods for the full kitchen in the aparthotel.

DIVERSITY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IS UNDER ATTACK — BUT THESE EXPERTS SAY IT’S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER

MINORITY-OWNED PLANNING FIRMS ARE AS ESSENTIAL AS THEY EVER WERE, THESE FOUR TOP EXPERTS ARGUE — NO MATTER WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS

“Our approach is, ‘how do you help people take back their power?’” said Cecilia V. Estolano, who leads the Los Angeles-based Estolano Advisors. 

“How do you help communities to become places where they can actualize all their abilities? Diversity as a perspective makes our profession better.” 

When it comes to sustainability, Estolano emphasized that firms owned by people of color can frame issues of climate justice, pollution, the clean energy transition, and water quality in terms that reflect the direct experience of the communities that have been most impacted.

“We had our neighborhoods bulldozed to build freeways that caused more air pollution that seared our lungs,” she added. 

“We understand what it means to live within the evacuation zone of an oil refinery and can appreciate what clean cars and renewable energy can mean for our kids and their kids.”

DIVERSITY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IS UNDER ATTACK — BUT THESE EXPERTS SAY IT’S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER

MINORITY-OWNED PLANNING FIRMS ARE AS ESSENTIAL AS THEY EVER WERE, THESE FOUR TOP EXPERTS ARGUE — NO MATTER WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS

To generate incremental, sustainable development, Cecilia V. Estolano, who leads the Los Angeles-based Estolano Advisors, said cities often have to overcome cynicism and mistrust in working class communities of color — because those communities have been misled, disappointed and underestimated in past failed planning processes.

“We work closely with communities on changing the things that result from poor planning and poor policy,” she added. 

Estolano’s firm is currently leading the planning process for the future of a state-owned site in LA’s Crenshaw district that’s been shuttered for more than a decade. 

Served by light rail, it could be redeveloped with housing, job training and other community services.

 

 

DIVERSITY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IS UNDER ATTACK — BUT THESE EXPERTS SAY IT’S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER

MINORITY-OWNED PLANNING FIRMS ARE AS ESSENTIAL AS THEY EVER WERE, THESE FOUR TOP EXPERTS ARGUE — NO MATTER WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS

Cecilia V. Estolano has been working on redevelopment and economic development issues for over three decades. 

Her experience leading the Los Angeles-based Estolano Advisors has made her skeptical of strategies that call for luring large firms into a community with big subsidies and tax breaks without asking much in return.

Estolano said most consistent growth comes from home-grown small businesses. 

“This is how we build wealth in this country, particularly when so many folks are locked out of home ownership in high cost cities,” she added.

“We need to invest in infrastructure because it is the foundation for our quality of life and for business growth. 

And we have to work directly with businesses to design workforce training programs tailored to their needs, but only if they can deliver jobs and careers that pay enough to support a family.”

 

DIVERSITY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IS UNDER ATTACK — BUT THESE EXPERTS SAY IT’S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER

MINORITY-OWNED PLANNING FIRMS ARE AS ESSENTIAL AS THEY EVER WERE, THESE FOUR TOP EXPERTS ARGUE — NO MATTER WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS

The resulting COTA plan didn’t simply look at sourcing environmentally friendly materials as part of the transit authority’s resilience effort.

It also charted ways of sustaining economic justice by ensuring small, diverse businesses could become contractors for the transit agency, balancing social impact with economic growth. 

“Our only shareholders are the community,” said Charnelle Hicks, who serves as principal at Philadelphia-based CHPlanning.

“[If the plan lacks an element of diversity, we need] to ask the question:

‘So you’re good with not including this consideration for the community?’” 

 

 

 

 

DIVERSITY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IS UNDER ATTACK — BUT THESE EXPERTS SAY IT’S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER

MINORITY-OWNED PLANNING FIRMS ARE AS ESSENTIAL AS THEY EVER WERE, THESE FOUR TOP EXPERTS ARGUE — NO MATTER WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS

“Whether the community is Amish or Muslim, unique perspectives exist,” said Charnelle Hicks, who serves as principal at Philadelphia-based CHPlanning.

“You must think about [questions like,] ‘What are the things they care about?,’ and ask, ‘What are their priorities?’

At some point, we all will have disabilities. So we must design for accessibility.”

Hicks cited a plan for the Central Ohio Transit Authority that looked at sustainability not just in terms of the environment, but also in terms of how the transit system of greater Columbus, Ohio could be more inclusive.

DIVERSITY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IS UNDER ATTACK — BUT THESE EXPERTS SAY IT’S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER

MINORITY-OWNED PLANNING FIRMS ARE AS ESSENTIAL AS THEY EVER WERE, THESE FOUR TOP EXPERTS ARGUE — NO MATTER WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS

Experts such as Charnelle Hicks note that minority communities help foot the bill for public projects — even though hiring minority-led firms is the exception to rule. And that imbalance leads to unfair outcomes for travelers on the ground.

“In the public sector, taxes are paid by everyone – so you would think the plan would be for everyone, but we all know it doesn’t always turn out that way,” said Hicks, who serves as principal at Philadelphia-based CHPlanning.

If different people with different backgrounds are not considered from the beginning of the planning process, Hicks argues that projects will fail. 

MAMDANI WILL REBUILD THE BQE TO LAST UNTIL 2080

DESPITE CALLS TO TEAR IT DOWN

All I can think of is tens of thousands of people with disabilities virtually trapped because of terrible sidewalks, crosswalks, curbramps in NYC.

I thought Mamdani is the mayor of the marginalized. 

This action makes him more like the lobbyist for the more than trillion dollar per year auto industry.

$4 billion in pedestrian/wheelchair mobility is game changing. 

Spent on an expressway = failure.

https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/08/24/mamdani-bqe-plan-august-2026?utm_source=streetsblog-nyc.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=the-triple-cantilever-is-here-to-stay

DIVERSITY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IS UNDER ATTACK — BUT THESE EXPERTS SAY IT’S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER

MINORITY-OWNED PLANNING FIRMS ARE AS ESSENTIAL AS THEY EVER WERE, THESE FOUR TOP EXPERTS ARGUE — NO MATTER WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS

Minority industry leaders, though, emphasize that their community does bring unique value and results — no matter what Washington says. 

“It is not that large firms cannot do good work, because they often do,” said Charles Brown, who is the Founder & CEO of the urban planning, public policy and research firm, Horizon 54.

“It is that perspective matters. Diverse firms do not just bring different faces to the table.

We often bring different questions, experiences, and ways of understanding the people affected by the work.” 

“Why? Because we believe those closest to the problem are closest to the solution,” Brown continued.  

 

DIVERSITY IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IS UNDER ATTACK — BUT THESE EXPERTS SAY IT’S MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER

MINORITY-OWNED PLANNING FIRMS ARE AS ESSENTIAL AS THEY EVER WERE, THESE FOUR TOP EXPERTS ARGUE — NO MATTER WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS

“Diverse firms often bring lived experiences, deep community relationship, and unique ways of seeing a problem,” said Charles Brown, who is the Founder & CEO of the urban planning, public policy and research firm, Horizon 54, formerly called Equitable Cities. “Often, that leads us to ask questions or identify impacts that others may overlook.” 

Still, Brown and the other experts we interviewed for this story acknowledged that minority-owned firms face uniquely steep barriers today. 

Affirmative action programs were a required part of federal contracting for a half century, but President Trump signed an executive order revoking it as one of his first acts in office.

The Trump administration also has banned federal contractors, subcontractors, and grant recipients from operating diversity, equity and inclusion programs of their own.