As technology continues to forge ahead, bringing us self-driving cars and smart fridges, the infrastructure we rely on day to day can feel more and more out of date – as can attitudes to those spaces and their accessibility. As we understand more about ourselves, our disabilities and neurodivergencies, it’s becoming plainer to see that our cities are not suitable for everyone anymore. So what can we do to make urban spaces well and truly accessible?
What Do We Mean by Accessibility?
Accessibility does not simply refer to physical ease of access; many disabilities are invisible, and come with their own barriers as far as public spaces go. For example, a deaf person may find certain bus or train interchanges difficult to navigate if changes to timetable are only announced via tannoy (and no audio loop is available) – or a blind person might be prevented from crossing certain roads in a city centre owing to the lack of suitable, safe and usable crossing points. Accessibility should also extend past the needs of those with physical disability; those with Autism Spectrum Disorder may find the city difficult to navigate owing to the excess stimuli of the centre.
When we talk about an accessible city, we take all of these facets into consideration, and look to a new way of town planning and regeneration which allows those with accessibility issues to traverse and utilise their city the same way able-bodied and neurotypical people do.
Public Spaces
Public spaces are often inaccessible to people with sensory sensitivities, whether they have ASD or Asperger’s, or a learning difficulty which has them seeing the world a different way. For these people, accessibility means a reduction in audio stimuli and visual clutter, enabling them to see clearly around them, and places to calmly sit and recharge.
Transport
Accessible transport solutions require step-free access to stations, platforms and the transport in question, as well as clear directions and signposting for those hard of sight or hearing. Some cities perform better than others with this, but no city is truly accessible until every train platform and bus station is completely accessible.
The traffic infrastructure of cities also needs bringing into the 21st century – with wheelchair-accessible vehicles becoming increasingly popular on the UK’s roads, cities must start to accommodate – with widened loading spaces to enable seamless pick-ups and drop-offs, and ample parking to keep doors clear at all times.
City Buildings
Once again, step-free access is a non-negotiable requirement for accessible city buildings. Audio loops for hearing aids and lowered counters for wheelchair users are also deeply important, as is textured flooring to indicate directions and zones for the blind. Certain public buildings would also do well to have ‘quiet rooms’ available for neurodivergent people to retire to if overstimulated or overwhelmed.
Navigation
Infrastructure doesn’t stop with the buildings and roads themselves. Making maps and route-planning accessible is critical to enable everybody to traverse the city with ease. Map stations with waypoints should be installed at a height suitable for all, and pavements and crossings should be demarcated with as much importance as roads are.
