OUR FAVORITE SITES

THE CONGRESS FOR NEW URBANISM

The Congress for New Urbansim has led the way toward rebuilding our cities and suburbs into walkable, transit-friendly and sustainable centers.

John Norquist, the head of CNU and the former Mayor of Milwaukee, is a brilliant speaker on the wealth of cities.

www.cnu.org

We will spend the next several days sharing our favorite websites, blogs & links that lead to great information on urbanism, planning, travel, sustainability, universal design, wheelchair access and travel. Our listings are in no particular order.

THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT - 39

A GUIDE TO UNIVERSAL DESIGN

To receive the "Universal Accessibility" point, the builder includes, in at least 20% of the single-family homes, the features required by federal law in apartment buildings:

a zero step entrance on an accessible route
wide interior doors, maneuvering space in bathrooms and kitchens
blocking in bathroom walls to allow future grab bars
reachable electrical controls, and
a step-free path of travel through the first floor of the home.

THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT - 38

A GUIDE TO UNIVERSAL DESIGN

LEED-ND awards a point for developments that build single-family homes with basic access.

Visitability is connected to green building practices. Basic access at the time of construction decreases the waste of energy and materials necessitated by retrofits, and makes neighborhoods more sustainable by enabling social interaction, "aging in place," and disability inclusion.

THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT - 37

A GUIDE TO UNIVERSAL DESIGN

The LEED-ND application document reads, in part,: "Enable the widest spectrum of people, regardless of age or ability, to more easily participate in their community life by increasing the proportion of areas that are usable by people of diverse abilities."

THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT - 36

A GUIDE TO UNIVERSAL DESIGN

The LEED for Neighborhood Development Rating System integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building into the first national system for neighborhood design.

LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a development's location and design meet accepted high levels of environmentally responsible, sustainable development.

THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT - 35

A GUIDE TO UNIVERSAL DESIGN

Features also provide a basic shell of access to permit formerly non-disabled people to remain in homes if they develop a disability, rather than:
forcing them to do expensive renovations
relocate to a different house
live in an inaccessible home which endangers their health and safety, or
move from the community into a nursing home.

THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT - 34

A GUIDE TO UNIVERSAL DESIGN

Although visitability allows for people with disabilities to access the homes of their nondisabled peers, it’s not the only way for people with disabilities to integrate into the built environment.

People with disabilities frequently share common ground with those who advocate the dense, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use developments that are the hallmark of New Urbanism. Auto-dependant urban sprawl creates a struggle for those with mobility and other disabilities.

However, when many New Urbanist developments are built, their housing is inaccessible as well. This is seemingly contradictory to the diverse intergenerational community that is the hallmark of the New Urbanism.

To its credit, the Congress for the New Urbanism has agreed to endorse a visitability agenda to make New Urbanist housing accessible.