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-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IT’S AN EMBARRASSMENT TO WALK AN URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD – WHEN THE SIDEWALK SHRINKS TO 2 FEED WIDE – CRUSHING ACCESS FOR WHEELCHAIR USERS

MIAMI'S NORTHEAST SECOND AVENUE IS SUPER WIDE AND DANGEROUS – WHILE PEDSTRIAN MOBILTY IS IMPOSSIBLE:                 THIS IS UPSIDE DOWN 

Miami’s Upper Buena Vista is exploding with great restaurants & shops.

But a sidewalk less than 2 feet wide means wheelchair users must go out into incredibly dangerous NE 2nd Ave.

The City of Miami and Miami-Dade County MUST fix this on east side of NE 2nd Ave. at NE 49 St.

This is a screaming violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

It defies every planning goal of having walkable, pedestrian friendly urban neighborhoods.

Many sidewalk sections -- why destroy independence for and rob dignity of people with disabilities -- exist in this redeveloping urban enclave.

DOWNTOWN MIAMI MOBILITY IS A LIVING HELL

FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND OTHERS

 WHO FACE CONSTANT  BARRIERS

For more than a decade, downtown Miami has been a living hell for people with disabilities.

Dozens of sidewalks are illegally closed for construction for 3+ years.

Existing sidewalks are often narrow and rarely accessible.

This photo depicts a completely destroyed/too narrow sidewalk has festered for years.

It is an incredible danger to people with mobility/vision disabilities.

It connects to the nearby Brightline transit station.

This segment of NW 6 St. just east of NW. 1st Ave. must be fixed.

DOWNTOWN MIAMI = LEAST WALKABLE URBAN CORE IN THE USA

CITY IGNORES CENTURY-OLD SIMPLE SCAFFOLDING THAT COULD KEEP SIDEWALKS OPEN AND SAFE DURING CONSTRUCTION

How is it that the bankrupt Cleveland Ohio of my youth could maintain pedestrian and wheelchair access via simple scaffolding more than a half century ago?

But Miami destroys pedestrian safety in the name of development that blocks all sidewalks downtown.

This soul-killing photo shows urban policy that is unacceptable/illegal according to ADA.

Both sides of NE 6 St. west of NE 1st Ave. blocked for years of construction.

There is zero provision of legally required temporary pedestrian/wheelchair accessible pathway.

UENO TOUGANEYA HOTEL TOKYO

PERFECTLY LOCATED NO FRILLS, MOM AND POP PROPERTY WITH EXCELLENT STAFF AND GREAT PRICE POINT

Ueno Touganeya Hotel’s rooms could use a makeover.

They are a bit drab.

With them being so small -- about 100 SF -- they could stand to be modernized.

There is one elevator, so there could be a wait to get up to your room if the property is fully occupied.

It would be nice to have some small breakfast offering -- just some coffee and rolls, so you could get some food on your belly before venturing out for a long day of exploring.

 

UENO TOUGANEYA HOTEL TOKYO

PERFECTLY LOCATED NO FRILLS, MOM AND POP PROPERTY WITH EXCELLENT STAFF AND GREAT PRICE POINT

Ueno Touganeya Hotel’s location by the major hub Ueno train station is a huge plus.

Ueno Station has direct access to Tokyo Station for the Shinkansen bullet trains, as well as only one change for the monorail to Haneda.

During my first stay, I could hear a lot of noise from the floor above.

Asking for a room on the top (6th) floor upon my return solved that problem.

The building is ugly and one of the few in Tokyo with graffiti marks – maybe this keeps the price low.

UENO TOUGANEYA HOTEL TOKYO

PERFECTLY LOCATED NO FRILLS, MOM AND POP PROPERTY WITH EXCELLENT STAFF AND GREAT PRICE POINT

The Ueno Touganeya Hotel front desk staff is very good with English and it was also outstanding at responding to my emailed requests and questions.

I had a request about room location (for my return, 4-day stay after my original 3-day visit) and they were super accommodating.

There is a Lawson 24 hour konbini footsteps away.

Ueno station has a gourmet grocery. 

And there are tons of mom and pop restaurants withing walking distance.

The vibrant Ameyoko shopping street is about 10 minutes away. 

There is some really great street food, sit down spots and discount shopping in the always crowded, noisy strip. 

Thankfully, Ameyoko is on the other side of the huge train station, so none of its raucousness disturbs guests at Touganeya Hotel.

UENO TOUGANEYA HOTEL TOKYO

PERFECTLY LOCATED NO FRILLS, MOM AND POP PROPERTY WITH EXCELLENT STAFF AND GREAT PRICE POINT

The Ueno Touganeya Hotel rooms are tiny, but quiet.

The water pressure and warmth in the shower was fine and the AC worked well.

The bed was comfy and the small desk and drawers were very efficient.

Perhaps the rooms and hallways could use a slight makeover, but then again the price was just a bit more than $100 USD per night including taxes.

Luggage storage was good and secure while I waited for check-in.

UENO TOUGANEYA HOTEL TOKYO

PERFECTLY LOCATED NO FRILLS, MOM AND POP PROPERTY WITH EXCELLENT STAFF AND GREAT PRICE POINT

The Ueno Touganeya Hotel lobby is warm and the staff is outstanding.

There is a small microwave for shared use (none in rooms, but a very tiny fridge is in each room) and a purified water dispenser for filling your bottles.

I did not use the onsite laundry, but that is a good amenity.

There are a few freebies, such as coffee and tea packets plus tiny travel razors/toothbrushes in the lobby.  

UENO TOUGANEYA HOTEL TOKYO

PERFECTLY LOCATED NO FRILLS, MOM AND POP PROPERTY WITH EXCELLENT STAFF AND GREAT PRICE POINT

Ueno Touganeya Hotel is the perfect no frills, small room, great staff lodging for those who want to be five minutes from the major Ueno train station.

The lodging also is about 10 minutes from amazing Ueno Park's 130-plus acres of world class museums, shrines/temples, lake, Tokyo Zoo, festivals and cherry blossom trees in spring/golden trees in fall.

The building is very nondescript and there is zero food available.

MIAMI BLOCKS WHEELCHAIR ACCESS AND WALKABILITY

TO A SHAMEFUL LEVEL UNAMATCHED BY ANY CITY ON EARTH

Wheelchair access is destroyed in the heart of Miami — a block of NE 1st Ave. south of NE 6 St.

The west side is construction without the legally required wheelchair accessible temporary route.

The east side has a bus bench advertisement that pinches the sidewalk to 2 feet wide.

This is an emergency that must be fixed immediately.

It violates the ADA.

MIAMI’S PEDESTRIAN MOBILITY IS SUB THIRD WORLD

A VISITING PLANNER IS SHOCKED BY LACK OF WHEELCHAIR ACCESS

I met a well-known urban planner at downtown Miami’s Brightline Station.

She was beyond shocked that we ran across more than a dozen sidewalks completely shut down for developers: She noted how this destroys the pedestrian and transit link.

My planner friend is from a relatively poor city — but it requires 100% of its sidewalks to remain open during construction.

This is achieved through simple scaffolding – it’s been around 100 years.

She said Miami only pretends as being a world class city.

My planning colleague has worked in cities after earthquakes and bombings.

She said the urban core of Miami is only slightly more navigable by wheelchair and on foot than those destroyed places.

MY BLOG GETS 12,000 TO 15,000

DAILY READERS

I learned journalism at the storied Akron Beacon Journal.

Its daily print circulation is below 22,000.

It’s not an apples to apples comparison -- but I am proud to be getting so many readers.

My blog focuses on building a better environment for people with disabilities, placemaking and urban photography.

It began more than a decade ago and has had nearly 1.5 million unique visitors.

I GOT ROBBED ON THE TRAIN — BUT I STILL HAVE FAITH IN CITIES

I DON’T CONDONE CRIME, BUT I ALSO DO NOT CONDONE THE DEMONIZING OF CITIES AND THE DIVERSE PEOPLE THAT POWER THEM

Perhaps I was a victim of a crime ring that feeds drug habits and worse.

Or maybe my assailants were so pushed aside by society that thievery was a means to feeding family or paying for basic shelter.

I don’t condone crime, but I also do not condone the demonizing of cities and the diverse people that power them.

Cities, warts and all, are historically where our forebears settled, scratched out a living and created a life better for each succeeding generation.

They are the future of a strong and diverse nation.

I GOT ROBBED ON THE TRAIN — BUT I STILL HAVE FAITH IN CITIES

I DON’T CONDONE CRIME, BUT I ALSO DO NOT CONDONE THE DEMONIZING OF CITIES AND THE DIVERSE PEOPLE THAT POWER THEM

I have worked in the disability space – as a caregiver, educator and advocate – for four decades.

I have witnessed first hand the economic struggles of people with disabilities, who, according to U.S. Labor statistics, are the most under- and unemployed of all minority groups.

I know that the wealth of cities includes space for diverse people, as well as robust transit to job opportunities for people with a wide range of mobility needs.

More than two years since being victimized in Paris, I remain convinced that ableism and exclusion do more damage to our cities and society than the most hardened criminals.

I firmly believe that in these polarized times, we must embrace environmental justice while addressing systemic exclusion that causes crime.

I GOT ROBBED ON THE TRAIN — BUT I STILL HAVE FAITH IN CITIES

I DON’T CONDONE CRIME, BUT I ALSO DO NOT CONDONE THE DEMONIZING OF CITIES AND THE DIVERSE PEOPLE THAT POWER THEM

Unable to sleep because of severe concussion symptoms, I wondered how the violent crime would impact me.

Would I, a longtime urban dweller and planner, sour on cities?

Would my progressive politics shift?

No, quite the opposite.

My belief in diversity and how big cities support diverse people is unshaken.

Not that long ago, people who used wheelchairs were barred from mainstream institutions and hauled off to “special” schools.

They had to fight to attend college.

To this day, 34 years after the passage of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, less than one percent of housing in the U.S. is accessible to wheelchair users.

Otherwise intelligent people pejoratively label the liberating use of a mobility device as being “confined to a wheelchair.”

I GOT ROBBED ON THE TRAIN — BUT I STILL HAVE FAITH IN CITIES

I DON’T CONDONE CRIME, BUT I ALSO DO NOT CONDONE THE DEMONIZING OF CITIES AND THE DIVERSE PEOPLE THAT POWER THEM

It was ironic that I was in town to give a speech at the 58^th International Making Cities Livable Conference.

My presentation was on sidewalks and transit and connectivity that makes life livable for all people — and especially those who use wheelchairs for mobility.

I have expertise and personal passion for Universal Design because for three decades; I was the direct caregiver to a person who used a power wheelchair for mobility.

I was the Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity guy.

I GOT ROBBED ON THE TRAIN — BUT I STILL HAVE FAITH IN CITIES

I DON’T CONDONE CRIME, BUT I ALSO DO NOT CONDONE THE DEMONIZING OF CITIES AND THE DIVERSE PEOPLE THAT POWER THEM

I was reeling from a robbery and beating.

Did my head, thumping with what would turn out to be a concussion, turn to thoughts of vengeance? 

Sure, for a brief period.

But after completing a police report – and being told gangs that do this are never caught – I started thinking about the big picture.

I love cities, feel they are safe and am even willing to suffer injury and financial loss to keep immersing myself in them.

I GOT ROBBED ON THE TRAIN — BUT I STILL HAVE FAITH IN CITIES

I DON’T CONDONE CRIME, BUT I ALSO DO NOT CONDONE THE DEMONIZING OF CITIES AND THE DIVERSE PEOPLE THAT POWER THEM

Lately, all eyes have been focused on the Paris Olympics and anticipating the Paralympics.

But just a few years ago, I experienced the dark side of the City of Light.

I was hustling to change from the RER train for Charles de Gaulle Airport to the Metro M6 to reach my hotel on Place Italie.

Groggy-eyed, suitcase-wheeling and just-arrived staring at the Metro map, I was an easy mark.

Waiting for an English-speaking detective, I started canceling credit cards and closing a now exposed bank account.

I GOT ROBBED ON THE TRAIN — BUT I STILL HAVE FAITH IN CITIES

I DON’T CONDONE CRIME, BUT I ALSO DO NOT CONDONE THE DEMONIZING OF CITIES AND THE DIVERSE PEOPLE THAT POWER THEM

A traveler’s worst nightmare?

Three men — all less than half my age — crashed into me just as the subway doors were closing.

Shoved, I banged my head on one the poles for standing riders to grasp and fell forward in pain.

Even though I was blindsided and injured, my first thought was to pat my right hip.

Sure enough, the wallet I forgot to hide in my book bag was gone – and with it, more than $500 in cash, all my credit cards and my identification.