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Brescia Declaration for Universal Design

The Brescia Declaration for Universal Design is a statement of the state of play in universal design and the need to progress the concepts further. It is written in the context of the COVID 19 pandemic which revealed the gaps in equity and inclusion. The Declaration is on the downloads page of the UD2022 conference website. Organisations that agree with the final Declaration can show their support by providing their logo.

The Brescia Declaration is underpinned by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the 7 Principles of Universal Design. It is a lengthy statement with reference to national obligations related to international conventions. It promotes the inherent values of universal design in all design disciplines and provision of services, and concludes with a list of actions.

Dr Ger Craddock, Chief Executive, Centre for Excellence in Universal Design in Ireland drafted the document for presentation at the Universal Design Conference in Brescia, Italy – UD2022. Image of rural Brescia

A hilltop view over the city of Brescia showing low rise apartment buildings sitting nestled in the surrounding hillsides.

CUDA believes we have moved beyond the 7 Principles to a shared view of design based on co-design processes. We present a short plain language version of the call to action and a list of principles. Organisations can adapt this version for their own policy statements.

A call to action

For a more equitable, inclusive and sustainable world, and for the benefit of all, we call for collaborative action based on a universal design approach.

Principles for embedding a universal design approach

  • Apply co-design methods in all design disciplines and all aspects of human activity
  • Embed a universal design framework for all policy making and policy guidance
  • Embed the concept of universal design in all procurement processes
  • Promote the concept of population diversity to minimise exclusion and marginalisation
  • Engage a diverse range of users in design processes from the outset of all projects
  • Develop performance based standards in disciplines that rely on regulations
  • Promote a culture of inclusion by integrating universal design into compliance commitments and requirements
  • Ensure that universal design principles work effectively with the aims of sustainability
  • Invest in research and development of equitable and affordable products and services
  • Embed universal design in all education programs and disciplines
  • Promote universal design in learning (UDL) in all aspects of teaching and learning
  • Embed the ethics of equity and inclusion in school-based learning
  • Provide equitable access to all services including digital services
  • Respond to changing needs and insights with flexibility
  • Invest in workforce training and education on why a universal design approach is important
  • Apply universal design across the lifecycle of all projects and ongoing management.

Papers from the 2022 conference are open access and ready for download from the conference website.

Lavender coloured banner for the UD2022 Conference in Brescia.

Norway Declaration on Universal Design

At the UD2024 Universal Design Conference in Olso, the Brescia Statement and call to action was updated. Universal design is an essential tool for fulfilling the pledge of the Sustainable Development Goals of “Leave No-one Behind”.

To achieve a sustainable, equitable, and resilient future, certain principles must guide the development of global, national, regional, and local policies and practices:

  • Implement Universal Design as a philosophy, strategy, and approach.
  • Comply with the UNCRPD and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
  • Promote and invest in research, development, design, and innovation that adhere to Universal Design principles, making products, services, and environments inclusive and affordable, by applying a human-centric and participatory approach.
  • Strengthen civil society participation in design and decision-making, particularly involving persons with disabilities, older people, and their representative organisations, as well as the private sector.
  • Introduce standards and policies based on Universal Design to eliminate fragmentation in the private and public sectors.
  • Ensure a Universal Design approach to both digital and physical environments as an integral part of sustainable design.
  • Integrate Universal Design into education to ensure equality of access, opportunity, and outcomes.
  • Ensure that people can continue to live in their own communities by applying Universal Design principles to homes, public spaces, and transport.

The participants of UD 2024 call upon policymakers and design practitioners to demand that all nations commit to a Universal Design approach to ensure future environments, products, and services are inclusive across the broadest possible spectrum of people.

You can access the PDF and Word versions of the document online. CUDA has endorsed the Statement.

All conference papers are open access from IOS Press.

It’s not about economics. It’s about power

For anyone who doubts the influence the housing industry has on government, an article in The Fifth Estate spells it out clearly. The article is in the context of the dumping a new planning policy that would have delivered many benefits to the people of New South Wales. It also indicates why NSW has refused to adopt the access features in the National Construction Code. It’s not about economic arguments, it’s about who has the last word.

A calculator and a bank statement are sitting on a desk. Economics

An independent economic cost benefit analysis concluded benefits to society would be $1.40 for every dollar spent.

The NSW Greens eventually forced the NSW Government to release documents related to their dumping of their long awaited planning policy. It was during a lunch meeting with developers that the Minister for Planning agreed not to progress the new planning policy. And unlike other ministerial speeches, this speech was kept secret. The eventual release of this speech brought forth many other documents.

…it was apparent that the Benefit Cost analysis concluded benefits derived by the society and community to be $1.40 for every dollar spent by the developer! But the dollar is being spent by the developer!! What benefit do they get for expenditure of this money?”

Urban Taskforce CEO Tom Forrest in The Fifth Estate
Three piles of gold coins at different heights with the tallest having a little gold house on top.

The documents

The Fifth Estate has published the letters and emails between the Minister and developers. It makes for interesting reading. The developers’ argument is that they get nothing for these changes while the community gains. This, of course, is debatable. Regardless, any additional developer costs are passed on to consumers so it is difficult to understand this argument.

The documents reveal the close relationship between industry and NSW Government and help explain other decisions. The NSW Government has flatly refused to adopt recent changes to the National Construction Code for housing. These changes are based on the Silver level of the Livable Housing Design Guidelines. They are basic access features that would benefit everyone especially people with reduced mobility. However, other states and territories are ready to adopt these changes. Where will that leave developers in NSW? More importantly, where will it leave householders?

If you are interested in the whole story The Fifth Estate has laid it out in a simple story. The title is, “When people notice what we have done” – documents expose how developers killed the NSW Design and Place SEPP.



Are shopping malls ageist?

Older supermarket shoppers need a positive attitude from employees, functional shopping trolleys, and appropriate placement of products on shelves. Retail stores are public space and they should look good and be functional. Therefore a universal design approach can prevent shopping malls from being ageist.

Key design elements are: seamless entry, easy to use shopping trolleys, finding and reaching products, reading product contents and price tags, and a smooth payment process.

View inside a shopping mall showing shops on each side of a walkway. Are shopping malls ageist?

Apart from helpful staff and functional equipment, there are other elements to consider.

  • Circulation systems and spaces: ramps, elevators, escalators, hallways and corridors
  • Entering and exiting: identifying and approaching entrances and exits and moving through them easily
  • Wayfinding: Graphical text, pictograms, maps, photos, diagrams, obvious paths of travel, nodes, edges, zones and districts
  • Obtaining products and services: service desks waiting areas and shops
  • Public amenities: toilets and seating
  • Ambient conditions: noise control, non-glare lighting, adequate temperature and humidity

A paper titled, Design Failure in Indoor Shopping Structures: Unconscious
Ageism and Inclusive Interior Design in Istanbul explains more. The authors use the 7 principles of universal design as a guide and add another 4. The additional four principles are related to aesthetics, social participation, sustainability and equity. They also found that toilets and seating within supermarkets could do much to improve the shopping experience for older people.

As older adults’ need for toilets increases, the time spent in the supermarket declines. So they choose medium or small-sized supermarkets within walking distance of home.

overhead picture of the fresh food section of a supermarket.

Age inclusive shopping mall design

A 2024 article from the Netherlands continues the story of shopping mall design and older people. The term “the elderly” is used throughout, which is not the preferred term in Australia.

Good controlled lighting, reduced background noise, warmer temperatures, clear pathways with good lines of sight are essential. Shopping is for many older people, an enjoyable and meaningful activity.

The fresh food section of a shopping centre showing apples. In the background there are aisles of food items.

Neighbourhood shopping malls are often preferred for daily needs. Larger urban malls tend to attract younger generations and leisure shoppers. A literature review revealed one quarter of older peoples’ shopping is done online. Electronics was the most popular category

The literature often portrays older people as fragile and facing significant challenges. This is a one-sided view. Interviews with older people reveal a diverse reality as the ageing process is an individual experience.

Shopping mall design must account for practicality, individual preferences, a range of functions, spatial arrangements. Design solutions should also aim to create shopping centres that foster social interaction and physical activity.

The title of the research report is The Elderly in a Post-War Shopping Mall. The Dutch case studies add to the value of this report.

Shopping for All: Inclusive Retail

Photo of wide shopping corridor at Barangaroo. Inclusive retail experiences.

Designing with people with disability in mind results in greater convenience for everyone. That’s why we need businesses to think about inclusive retail experiences and strategies.

The Australian Network on Disability, and Design for Dignity produced an excellent resource for retail outlet designers. The key is for designers and retail outlets to understand the level of their missed business by ignoring population diversity. Graphs and statistics are used to highlight the lost opportunities.

Guides for retailers

graph of people using mobility and hearing devices

The guide is aimed at retail business owners, service providers, shopping centre owners and managers, designers, builders and certifiers. There is also a Design for Dignity microsite with the information in a web-based format with more detail.

The business of age-friendly

A clothes store with jackets hanging and a table with other clothes.

Many businesses are not sure how to expand their customer base to include older people and people with disability. Utilising a checklist is one way to start thinking about it. Several organisations have produced checklists and other information to help businesses understand what they can do. Much of it costs little or nothing. Here are just three.

COTA TAS has a checklist that has a rating scale from excellent to needs work. It covers external environments, shop entrances, safety, comfort, and staff training, and much more. It’s nine pages and easy to read.

AgeUK has a more comprehensive document that provides the reasoning behind some of the “Top Tips’. These include telephone interactions, websites, and resolving complaints. The report is based on consumer workshop consultations.  

Establishing a centre for universal design in Australia

Transforming our World Through Design, Diversity and Education | IOS Press. Front cover.From the Ground Up: Establishing a Centre for Universal Design in Australia charts the establishment and development of CUDA. This paper was presented at the UD Conference in Ireland held at the end of 2018. Here is the abstract – the full paper is available online.

Abstract: The universal design movement arrived in Australia well before the turn of the century. A handful of individuals, often working as lone voices, are doing their best to incorporate the concepts into their everyday work and promote the concepts more widely.

As is often the case elsewhere, the term “universal design” is misunderstood and confused with special and separate designs for people with disability rather than inclusion for everyone. Compliance to legislated disability access standards has created further confusion and as a consequence many myths about universal design have emerged. Such myths have held back the implementation and understanding of universal design and inclusive practice.

Australian governments at all levels have shown little interest in promoting universal design principles, save for a casual mention of the term in policy documents. This is despite changes to disability and ageing policies promoting more autonomy and independence for individuals. When political leadership is absent, leadership often defaults to the community, or to be precise, to a handful of people with a passion for the cause.

In 2013 a chance meeting of two unrelated individuals set the wheels in motion to establish a centre for universal design in Australia. This paper charts the development and progress of the organisation through volunteer effort, harnessing community support, maintaining international connections, using social media, and establishing a resource-rich website and newsletter.