Category: Sport, Recreation & Arts

Retrofitting for the Olympic Games

The retrofitting of Olympic and Paralympic Games venues for accessibility tends to focus on the Paralympic Games, para-athletes. While we continue with this discourse inclusion will continue to be seen as a parallel and separate endeavour. Both Games need the same levels of accessibility and inclusion and should therefore be discussed as one event, not two.

“This effort goes beyond simply following established guidelines; it calls for a deeper commitment to embracing both the letter and the spirit of universal design principles.”

“… effective transformation is contingent on targeted retrofitting strategies rooted in universal design and a commitment to inclusivity among all stakeholders.”

An empty sports stadium with rows of blue seats set around a green playing field.

Focus on wheelchair users is not the end but the beginning

We have entered an era of conservation when it comes to staging major international events. The Olympic and Paralympic committees now want to see existing facilities upgraded rather than new infrastructure. While this might tick sustainability boxes, not all venues can be easily adapted. While basic access can be improved, it is questionable whether inclusion is attained for all.

A literature review looks at past Olympic and Paralympic sporting and spectator facilities. The researchers found that relying on existing regulatory frameworks are an insufficient condition for access and inclusion. Reflections on past events reveal the importance of going beyond basic compliance. And that means taking a universal design approach.

Universal design is needed

A universal design approach promotes the need to meet inclusive standards, not just compliance standards. Modifications to the layout and architecture are important and need the integration of specialised equipment and designated areas for the diverse range of athletes and spectators.

Embracing these standards as a catalyst for innovation rather than mere compliance fosters the pursuit of excellence and aligns with the spirit of the Paralympic Games.

The title is, Enhancing Access and Inclusion: The Retrofitting of Olympic Facilities for the Paralympic Games. The authors recommend a systematic evaluation of universal design in sports complexes with a focus on tangible benefits for all. Paralympic Games can act as a catalyst for universally accessible and inclusive sports facilities.

From the abstract

This paper examines the significance of retrofitting initiatives in creating accessible sports environments. By modifying existing venues, these efforts accommodate the
unique needs of individuals with disabilities, enhancing both athlete participation and the spectator experience.

Key retrofitting strategies, such as installing wheelchair ramps and accessible seating, contribute to a more equitable environment. Addressing the specific needs of Paralympic athletes and spectators demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity in sports.

Beyond the Paralympic Games, retrofitted facilities set a standard for future events and public venues, promoting societal inclusivity. This paper highlights how retrofitting fosters equality in both sports and society, emphasizing its role in advancing an inclusive and accessible future.

Tokyo’s Olympic legacy acknowledges population ageing

The two mascots, for the Tokyo Olympic Games, one in pink and one in blue. They look like dolls with big ears and eyes. Although Japan has the oldest population in the world, creating accessible urban spaces is making very slow progress. Tokyo aimed to have all parts of the city that linked to the Olympic venues completely barrier-free. That includes buildings, transportation, services and open spaces. Tokyo’s Olympic legacy is discussed in an open access book chapter. 

Deidre Sneep discusses the issues regarding the urban design legacy in the Japanese context and commercialisation. The title of the book chapter on page 91 is, Discover tomorrow: Tokyo’s ‘barrier-free’ Olympic legacy and the urban ageing population. It’s free to download, but if you have institutional access you can access the journal article version.

One interesting aspect is that some argue that the government’s guide to promote a ‘barrier-free spirit’ makes it sound like an act of friendliness. Any kind of patronising attitude or slogan only serves to maintain marginalisation as the norm. Posters focus on young people and make barrier-free a special design. There are no older people in the pictures.

The implementation of the universal design concept is increasingly commercialised says Sneep. This is likely due to the history of universal design in Japan. One of the first international universal design conferences was held in Japan in 2002, and was led by giant product manufacturers such as Mitsubishi. The International Association for Universal Design (IAUD) remains active. 

In 2020 Tokyo will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the second time in history. With a strong emphasis on the future – Tokyo’s slogan for the Olympic Games is ‘Discover Tomorrow’ – Tokyo is branded as city of youth and hope. Tokyo’s demographics, however, show a different image: in the coming decades, it is expected that well over a third of the citizens will be over 65. Despite the focus on a youthful image, Tokyo is well aware of the fact that its demographics are rapidly shifting.

Governmental bodies have been actively trying to find solutions for anticipated problems related to the ageing population for decades. One of the solutions discussed and implemented is highlighted by the 2020 Olympics: the implementation of universal design in public spaces in the city in order to make it more easily accessible – in other words, making Tokyo ‘barrier-free’ (bariafurī).

This chapter presents the concept of ‘barrier-free’ in a Japanese setting, critically analyses the history and current implementation of the concept, pointing out that it seems to be increasingly commercialised, and evaluates the purpose of implementing the concept in the light of the 2020 Olympic Games.

 

Brisbane 2032: A Game Changer?

What can be learned from previous Games experiences? An article in ABC News discusses a report by Queenslanders with Disability Network (QDN) titled Game Changers. The report examined five past sporting events to see what can be learned from them. Employment of people with disability is a key focus of this report.

The Brisbane 2032 legacy committee chair Grace Grace said she’s committed to creating a “transformational legacy” for people with a disability. Image from the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.

A wide angle view of the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games showing lots of vibrant colours shining out against the night sky.

The Game Changers report analyses past sporting events and the legacy they left behind. There were many missed opportunities to create a positive legacy for people with disability. Plans need accessibility and inclusion embedded now, not one year before the event.

The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games was the largest para-sport program in Games history. However, there were many issues for athletes and spectators with disability. One of the main issues was the lack of accessible transport and venues. Volunteers and staff lacked appropriate training. Their language and implied indifference disregarded human differences.

The Commonwealth Games did create more accessible infrastructure and tourism. Athletes with and without disability were also competing side-by-side in events. This meant that their was equitable treatment on and off the field.

Employment

Legacy planning for inclusive employment means involving people with disability in the early planning. Media presenters and journalists with disability are capable of working on both Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The report has three recommendations for the employment of people with disability so that by:

2028: Foundations laid to improve employment outcomes during the Games.

2032: the Brisbane Games have set and achieved clear and measurable targets for employment, procurement, and volunteering.

2042: more opportunity for meaningful employment within a connected and supportive employment ecosystem.

A statement of Brisbane 2032 as the Olympic and Paralympic Games Host with the Olympic rings and with red blue and green swipe shapes.

The title of article is, How Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games can learn from the past to create a legacy for people with a disability.

Games Legacy Symposium recommendations

The benefits of holding the Olympic and Paralympic Games must be long lasting, and this aspect is key to being the winning bid to be the host city. So what kind of legacy can we expect from Brisbane 2032 Games? CUDA held a symposium to discuss the Games Legacy strategy which is titled, Elevate 2042.

The vision is to move to a more inclusive, sustainable and connected society with more opportunities for everyone. And to make the region better, sooner together through sport.

Text taken from Elevate 2042 which says, the vision for elevate 2042 is that my 2042 we will live in an inclusive sustainable and connected society with more opportunities in life for everyone.

Elevate 2042, is the product of collective effort of the Games delivery partners. It is promoted as a guide to maintain a collective focus on society, economy, connectivity and environment.

The Games Legacy Strategy is not about benefits for a few, or ideas that have nothing to do with the Games. It is about making bigger things happen sooner for the benefit of as many communities as possible. The concept of universal design was mentioned once in the document and on the very last page.

The Olympic and Paralympic Games is a great opportunity to embed a universal design approach into all the work leading up to the event. This would drive the access and inclusion agenda for everyone in a coordinated way. The purpose of CUDA’s symposium was to find ways to embed universal design thinking into the implementation plan.

Symposium recommendations

A panel of four speakers set the scene which fed into the workshop discussions with participants. Two key themes emerged from those discussions.

  • Embed universal design principles in all procurement processes including pre-procurement to develop appropriate scopes of works.
  • Embed co-design at the beginning of all decision-making processes at all levels and make the process mandatory. 
Aerial view of the Sunshine Coast Stadium showing a large field of green grass next to a river.

Universal design is a unifying concept

Universal design is three things: an ethical principle for inclusion of diversity; a vision of an inclusive society; and a unifying approach to policy and perspectives. It’s this last point that is of greatest value to the implementation of the Games Legacy Strategy.

With so many government departments and stakeholders involved, an abstract concept such as inclusion can fall between the cracks. Taking universal design approach across the development of all activities keeps inclusion at the forefront in transport, housing, planning, employment, communications, services, and tourism to name a few.

The draft recommendations are open for comment until 30 July. They cover active transport, planning and infrastructure, housing, tourism, and co-design.

Embedding a universal design approach at the concept stage of any undertaking using co-design methods, and continuing the concept through to completion, will add support to a sustainable and successful legacy for the Brisbane 2032 Games.

Universal Design Guide for sport

In the ramp-up to the Brisbane 2032 Games, Paralympics Australia was fielding lots of calls from sporting organisations and venues. These organisations are keen to achieve higher standards of accessibility and inclusion. Paralympics Australia aims to increase access to sports opportunities, so it was time to devise a universal design guide to help.

The Universal Design Guide for creating inclusive sport in Australia is a valuable reference for sports representative bodies. It provides useful information for beginning the journey towards adopting inclusive practices.

Front cover of the universal design guide in Australian team colours - dark green background with yellow text.

It’s also good for many other organisations because the underpinning principles and processes are the same. There are good examples of this in the sections on practicing inclusivity and beginning the inclusion journey.

A diverse range of people working and competing in different sporting codes provided input to the guide. It addresses structural and attitudinal barriers to universal design and inclusion and comprises:

  • Definitions of accessibility, inclusivity and universal design
  • How to adopt an inclusive mindset and language
  • Motivating case studies
  • Focus activities for universal design
  • Practical guides for: hosting a universal design kick-off meeting, developing inclusive strategy, producing accessible documentation, and designing accessible inclusive digital experiences.
A female wheelchair basketball athlete holding the ball on the playing court.

The guide is very practical with case studies and examples of meeting agenda and social media posts. It concludes with a list of leading organisations and other resources. Download a copy in Word from the Paralympics Australia website.

The authors used every care to use language that is accurate, inclusive, empowering and non-stigmatising. The document will be refined and updated as Paralympics Australia builds its activities to make Australian sport accessible and inclusive. Feedback welcomed.

The International Paralympic Committee also has an Accessibility Guide produced in 2020. It has a wider range of topics that cover the whole event including accommodation and transportation.

Playgrounds: universal design not enough

A girl sits on the ground in a playspace. She is smiling at the camera. Universal design is not enough for inclusion.
Image from “Everyone Can Play” guide.

Children with disability are often excluded from playing at playgrounds due to design limitations. Of course, one solution includes building playgrounds using a universal design approach. However, playgrounds with universal design features are not enough to make an inclusive space. 

Universally designed playspaces bring play into the lives of families with disabilities. They also provide opportunities to champion disability advocacy, and support disabled children in developing critical social skills. However, additional work and resources are needed to achieve full social inclusivity.

Distance shot of children on a carousel or spinner
Image: Livvi’s Place Carousel

Findings from a Canadian study can help guide designs of future playgrounds and other community spaces to improve inclusivity for everyone. 

This paper begins with the playground experience and universal design and then applies this to other public spaces. 

The title of the article is, Understanding the experiences of parents of disabled and non-disabled children at playgrounds designed for disability inclusion. There is no free access to this publication in Disability and Society. However, you can request full access from ResearchGate. 

From the abstract

Disabled children and their families are often excluded from community play opportunities, including playgrounds. One potential solution is, of course, to design inclusive playgrounds.

This study explores the experiences of parents of disabled and non-disabled children at playgrounds inspired by Principles of Universal Design. Participants were 29 parents (16 with disabled children). They were located across four Canadian cities with newly built inclusively designed playgrounds.

Three themes were identified which provide deeper understandings of ableism in community playspaces and the impact on children and their families. 1. Inclusive playgrounds also act as a platform for disability advocacy. 2. They provide opportunities for social and emotional development. 3. Inclusive play may influence family dynamics.

Findings highlight the value of universal design, but indicate that physical environments alone do not ensure social inclusion, as social barriers can continue to exist even in spaces purposefully designed for disability inclusion.

Disability organisations as social participation

Clubs and societies bring together members with a shared interest which also provides a platform for social participation. The same can be said for disability organisations – with some differences. Disability organisations are a hub of social activity, political activism, and a resource of lived experience for planners. A paper from Sweden looks at this concept focusing on rural communities.

Researchers found that interviewees have extensive social lives and that disability organizations act as a platform for many social interactions.

Two women sit under trees in an outdoor cafe. One sitting on a bench seat at a table and the other is using her rollator or wheelie walker as a seat.

Sometimes acquiring a disability such as rheumatism, prompts people to join groups such as the rheumatism association. Some disabilities cause people to leave paid work so this gives them time to channel their energies into these civic organisations. But it doesn’t end there. Members of these organisations also provide valuable lived experience for local authorities in planning.

There are three dimensions to disability organisations: social participation, political action, and a resource of lived experience. Just on the basis of participation, disability organisations provide good value for their government funding.

Protesters at a disability access rally. A woman is sitting in a wheelchair holding a sign saying access for all. She is wearing a blue jacket and wearing sunglasses.

Disability organisations, and the disability sector as a whole, provide inclusive spaces in which to socialise. The strength of inclusive spaces is they facilitate participation on equal terms. On the other hand, disability-specific places are potentially more flexible and adapted to individual needs. Disability organisations are a form of a disability-specific space which form a base for recognition and a political voice.

Living rural with disability

Living with disability in rural areas is viewed as more of a problem than in urban areas. According to the researchers this is a simplification of how people relate to their environment. Rurality and disability are two different concepts which are not complicated when put together.

The article is titled, “I am a very active person”: Disability organizations as platforms for participation in rural Sweden. The link provides an extended abstract and the full paper is available via institutional access.

A rural road with homes on each side. The homes are painted dark red with white windows.

From the abstract

Disability organizations are places for social interactions and for the accumulation of knowledge about disabilities as lived experiences. They also form a platform for dialogues and political influence work in the local community.

Participation means being included in societal activities in a way that suits the individual’s capacities and ambitions. The role of the public sector also enables participation. That’s because, in Sweden, it supports disability organizations and opens up opportunities to influence local planning.

If more support is given and more disability-specific arenas are created, there will be more open arenas for possible participation. What counts as participation must begin with individuals’ own experiences and values of what they appreciate and need in their daily lives.

Universally designed playground has more use

Applying universal design principles to playgrounds means that more people will use them. That’s what a study of three playgrounds in the United States found. Two were standard playgrounds meeting ADA standards, and one was universally designed. Result? Not only did the universally designed playground receive higher use, there was also more physical activity overall.

There are many types of disability which means definitions of universal design are open‐ended. Consequently the outcomes are difficult to measure quantitatively, but not impossible. At least the move to make playgrounds more accessible has shifted assumptions that universal design is limiting.

100% of the elevated play components that are typically part of a modular play structure must be on the accessible route. But ADA standards require only 50%.

Two children, one in a wheelchair, enter a cubby area.

The researchers set the benchmark for universal design as going beyond the minimum ADA requirements. Doubling the ADA requirements became one of the measures. So where the ADA requires 50% of play structures to be an an accessible route, a universally designed playground requires 100%.

The three playgrounds in the study were of a similar character. Each had equipment of the same type and manufacturer, and the surfacing was the same including the colour.

The main aim of the research was to evaluate the outcomes of playgrounds designed using universal design principles. The secondary aim was to explore the physical activity levels in activity areas in parks and playgrounds.

What they found

The findings support the hypothesis that applying universal design principles can result in higher rates of playground use than those only meeting ADA standards. This counters the notion that such playgrounds are only for those living with a disability. The universally designed playground in this case study was found to be attractive to all users, It offered the same level of fun and challenge for children. The additional playground activity lead to increased physical activity in other areas of the park.

Another finding was that adults used the playground zones more than the researchers expected. Making them more comfortable for accompanying adults was the key. This last point is something that the Australian Everyone Can Play Guideline factored in from the beginning. Playspaces are for everyone regardless of age.

The title of the article is, Universal Design in Playground Environments: A Place‐Based Evaluation of Amenities, Use, and Physical Activity. It contains a good deal of statistical analysis and is useful for persuading funding bodies to take up a universal design approach to playgrounds and parks.

From the abstract

This study compares the impact of universal design on three playground environments, one of which was universally designed. While universal design principles are increasingly used in playground design, most prior work has focused on people with disability. This study explores the impact on all users regardless of their age or disability status.

We used a tool that records observations in three playgrounds and compared use and physical activity in the playground environments. User location and characteristics were recorded on a plan map of the park and the playground. The data were collected from 70 randomized observation periods per park (210 total for the three parks) recording 12,520 total users.

While the total user counts were similar across the three parks, the universal design playground showed 82% more users than in the mean of the comparison playgrounds. The study also evaluated the place‐based effects of park elements on the intensity of park use and physical activity.

The playground areas produced 46% of park use, with the highest percentages of active use (29.2%) in the parks as a whole demonstrating the contribution playground environments make to overall park use and physical activity.

Caregiver perceptions of inclusive playgrounds

Interviews with caregivers revealed that they thought inclusive playgrounds promote physical and social accessibility for children with disability. They encourage social interaction and friendships among children with and without disability.

The title of the paper is, Inclusive Playgrounds: Caregiver perceptions of accessibility and use. The introduction and key information is open access but the full paper has a paywall. Or get free access to the full paper through an institution.

Two children are climbing on a rope web obstacle course in a playground.

From the abstract

This research explored the caregivers’ perceptions of children’s social and physical accessibility in inclusive playgrounds. We conducted 11 in-depth interviews with caregivers regarding their perceptions of the accessibility and use of an inclusive playground by children with disabilities and how they perceive interactions between children with and without disabilities while using the playground.

From the interviews, two major themes emerged. The first was physical accessibility, with three minor themes emerging: a) safety and physical accessibility; b) sensory and cognitive safety; and c) variety and options. The second major category was social accessibility, with two minor themes: a) social interactions; and b) building friendships and practicing social skills. 

Overall, the participants described the inclusive playgrounds as safe places that include varied play equipment. It encouraged children with and without disabilities to play together, interact verbally, and build immediate friendships.

The findings highlight the importance of inclusive playgrounds as a starting place for enhanced community relationships. We suggest conducting further research that focuses on children’s perceptions including a broader range of children with varying disabilities.

Brisbane 2032: Legacy Strategy

Large scale events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games are contentious because of the cost of preparation. However, with careful planning, these events can leave a legacy of lasting benefits for communities. That’s the aim of the Brisbane 2032 Legacy Strategy.

Vision: “By 2042, we will live in an inclusive, sustainable and connected society, with more opportunities in life for everyone.”  

A green background with the text for the vision for Elevate 2042 in white.

Universal design is mentioned as an underpinning principle for inclusion and accessibility as if they are inherently the same thing. Consequently, the language defaults to “universal accessibility”. This term is often interpreted as meeting disability access standards in the built environment, which do not guarantee inclusive outcomes.

Similar to other policy documents, universal design is explained at the very end. If universal design is an underpinning principle of all aspects of the Games, it should be at the front of the document. Nevertheless, “universal design” is found under each of the focus areas.

Focus of the strategy

The strategy focuses on society, economy, connectivity and environment. The strategy, titled Elevate 2042, uses the Paralympic Games as the platform for “advancing accessibility and empowering people with disability”.

“Elevate 2042 is the catalyst to create a truly inclusive society
for all. From universal design underpinning everything we build to providing sport for
every Queensland child with a disability, I cannot wait to see what we have achieved by 2042.” Dr Bridie Kean

A diagrammatic wheel showing how the focus areas link together for the Brisbane 2032 strategy.

Inclusion and accessibility

By definition, the Paralympic Games must be inclusive and accessible, and the concepts considered across all aspects of both Games. Co-design processes are mentioned in relation to people with disability but not other marginalised groups.

The key points listed on the Paralympics Australia website for “Advancing accessibility and empowering people with disability” are:

  • People with disability can participate fully in the community
  • And have a voice on housing, transport, education, employment and sport
  • With accessible, inclusive sports infrastructure and events
  • Queensland’s Disability Plan 2022-2027: Together, a Better Queensland
  • Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031
Members of Paralympics Australia are posing for a group photo.

Image from the Paralympics Australia website

Previous Games and their legacies

Arial view of the park at twilight that highlights the green grass of the three main stadia. Sydney Paralympic Games.

Simon Darcy charts the whole process and the disability politics of the Sydney Games. Raju Mahto connects tourism with Olympic Games to show how accessibility supports both the event, the legacy and tourism for all. His paper, “Games Events, Accessible Tourism – A Mile to Go with Special Reference of Paralympics”, has some key findings that apply to any major event. By taking a universal design approach Mahto recommends:

  • Tourism operators must understand the needs of customers who have a disability
  • Accommodation establishments should have several accessible rooms
  • Public transportations systems should consider parallel services and ensure easy access to transport hubs
  • Tourism operators need to partner with Games organisers, the community and the private sector.

Public open space and gender

The COVID pandemic made us all realise how important urban public open space is for our wellbeing. However, the enjoyment of public open space is not equally shared across genders. A study from Greece found that all genders found the more “easily accessible” the public space, the more safe they felt.

The notion of “easily accessible” includes visibility from immediate surroundings and from a distance. It also means ease of movement and efficient connections to public transport.

Urban landscape with shade trees and lots of casual seating with people sitting. Going beyond minimum standards.

Women felt less safe than men during the pandemic, particularly in the evening and night hours. The researchers found public space maintenance was strongly related to perceptions of safety. Well maintained and managed outdoor spaces were viewed as safer during the evening and night hours.

In summary, well-maintained, accessible, places that feel secure both day and night are more likely to foster feelings of relaxation. The key design elements for urban public space are:

  • Good visibility and lighting
  • Increase the number of public spaces in urban area
  • Design streets with pedestrian safety in mind
  • Provide safe and accessible public transport
  • Enhance women’s participation in the design process
An older woman walks beside a younger woman in a park.

The title of the article is, Safe and Inclusive Urban Public Spaces: A Gendered Perspective. The Case of Attica’s Public Spaces During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Greece.

From the abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions in everyday life, including restrictions on social activities and physical separation. Urban public spaces became popular places for people to relax and socialize while keeping physical distance.

Gender and other social identities, on the other hand, have a major influence on people’s perceptions of safety in these public places. The goal of this research was to look into the relationship between perceptions of safety, relaxation, and gender in urban public places during the pandemic.

We found that women were more likely than men to report feeling unsafe in public places. Women’s feelings of insecurity hampered their ability to relax and enjoy these spaces, possibly limiting their access to public spaces and the benefits they provide.

There is an obvious interrelation between easily accessible open public spaces and safety. The findings outline the significance of inclusive design and planning for public spaces in order to guarantee safety and promote well-being.

Public space for everyone

Not everyone feels safe and welcome in public spaces and some of this is due to the way they are designed. Younger and older people are rarely considered or consulted about built environment decisions. However, age is just one dimension when considering inequity in public space. Disability, gender, cultural background intersect with all ages. A high density low-income area of Los Angeles was used for a study on intergenerational space for everyone.

Nearly all participants expressed enthusiasm about designing public spaces for intergenerational use and interaction.

Two figures are jogging on a path through the trees in open park.

The article describes the participatory method of focus groups, interviews and site observations. The focus on the study was three parks in the Westlake area. Older adults shared personal memories of the parks, often associated with when they first arrived in Los Angeles. Younger people remembered visiting the parks and times shared with family and friends. These happy times were not to continue, however. The parks became run-down and felt less safe and inclusive.

The research revealed that active engagement appeals to both older and younger residents. Park designers might assume that older adults prefer quieter, less active public spaces, but this ignores those who enjoy active engagement. Similarly the stereotype that younger people want activity dismisses those who want a quiet place to read.

The study is another example of participatory action research, or co-design, which is a processes for producing inclusive, universally designed public spaces.

The title of the article is, “We should all feel welcome to the park”:
Intergenerational Public Space and Universal Design in Disinvested Communities. It is open access with PDF and online access.

From the abstract

This article investigates the potential for intergenerational public space in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles. We worked with 43 youth and 38 older adults (over 65), to examine their public space use, experiences, and desires. We seek to identify where the two groups’ interests intersect or diverge. A series of site observations, focus groups, interviews, thick mapping, and participatory design exercises were used.

The potential for complementary approaches to creating intergenerational public space was explored using universal design. The importance of taking an intersectional approach to designing public space is emphasized. There are multiple, often overlapping identities of disability and age, in addition to race, class, and gender.

Our findings yield insights for creating more inclusive and accessible public spaces in disinvested urban neighborhoods. There are also opportunities for allyship between groups whose public space interests have been marginalized by mainstream design standards.

Universal park design toolkit

The Universal Park Design Series is a toolkit which has sections on entries, playgrounds, trails and green spaces. The interior spaces section deals with buildings and facilities such as rest rooms and kiosks. It covers basic access features but goes into more detail to provide a universal design approach.

The toolkit is a step-by-step guide for landscape professionals. The Easter Lake Park project in Des Moines was used to inform the tool.

A paved pathway runs along the edge of Easter Lake Park. People are sitting on the grass and on seating under the shelter. Universal park design.

The authors of the tool stress that the guidance does not represent all possible solutions. In other words, designers are encouraged to be creative within the framework of universal design thinking.

The authors crosswalked, or linked, the 7 principles of universal design to the 8 goals of universal design. Then they merged them to form the 5 categories for outdoor recreation areas as shown in the chart below. These 5 categories form the framework for design. The categories are physiological and motor capabilities, processing skills, health and safety, and contextual factors. The fifth category is effort towards sustainability.

A chart showing how the 7 principles of universal design relate to the 8 goals of universal design. Some concepts are merged to form 5 categories for universal outdoor recreation areas.

This chart is a good example of how the principles and goals can be re-worked to suit the context of the project rather than being used as a checklist. Chart is courtesy ShiveHattery.

The Interior Spaces tool is one part of the Universal Park Design Series. Other tools are, programming, parking & entry, playgrounds, trails, beaches and water activities.

From the introduction

This tool is not a one-size-fits-all. Each project should incorporate the practice of co-design, engaging active participation from diverse end-users and subject matter experts. This is to ensure that project anomalies or other factors do not adversely affect the design intent.

Universal design considerations are provided throughout the tool and they provide a summary of main considerations and technical criteria. They should not be regarded as an exhaustive list.

Members of a co-design team may come up with other ways to meet a diversity of users. New materials and technologies that emerge may open up further possibilities for accommodating the diversity of the population.

Each tool is organized into 5 Categories which were selected based on project initiatives and themes collected from academic, user, and practical research.

Variation exists in the categories of interior space design due to differences in operations, organizational goals between different clients and designers, and user perspectives. The foundation of the tool are the priorities for your project, the universal design categories, user input, and key questions to ask yourself as clients and designers.

Parking and entry is another section of the tool.

A related PhD thesis by Courtney Brown is based on the Easter Lake Park project. The title is, Design What Matters, Better: A Case Study of Universal and Inclusive Design Implementation Throughout the Design Process Toward Empowerment. This study challenges entrenched power dynamics within conventional design processes, which perpetuate non-inclusive environments, by empowering marginalized communities through their engagement in the design process.

Stress reduction in neighbourhood parks

Neighbourhood parks provide an opportunity for people to de-stress. But they must be human-centric.

Cognitive restoration design for stress mitigation in neighbourhood parks. looks at landscape design to enhance cognitive well-being.

A pathway with an archway covered in creeping plants with flowers.

Institutional access is required for a free read. Or ask for a copy from ResearchGate.

From the abstract

Many researchers have discovered the healing powers of landscape to human health and well-being, yet its association with psychological and cognitive aspects is still less explored.

The findings indicated that design for psychological needs must be human-centric. That’s because humans are born with sense, intuition, and preference. Specifically, to stimulate the cognitive part, it is vital to provide landscape design attributes that motivate people to go to the park. Therefore, the design must provide users with comfort, safety and security, social opportunities, and a pleasurable experience.

Paths for All

The Paths for All organisation in the UK has a guide for all types of outdoor situations. The aim is to help make outdoor places and spaces more accessible and more enjoyable for all. The guide is for anyone managing land for public access, including volunteers and recreation teams.

The Paths for All Outdoor Accessibility Guidance is a practical reference with tools and design details. It covers everything from remote paths and trails to more intensively managed parks and community spaces. The aim is to go beyond compliance using examples of good practice.

The guide is 200 pages, which indicates the number of contexts covered and the level of detail provided. The key sections are guidance for:

  • Developing an inclusive approach
  • Paths and routes
  • Facilities and activities
  • Inclusive communication
  • Review tools
Front cover of the Outdoor Accessibility Guidance showing two pictures. One is a grassed walking trail in open country.The other is a woman on a bench seat with a man sitting in a wheelchair next to her.

The Paths of All guide brings together many of the features found in other access guides. For example, ramp gradients, seating and toilets, and information materials and wayfinding. Changing Places toilets also feature. The reviewing tools are for assessing the “Access Chain”.

Each section has a box with the question, “What does inclusive practice look like?” followed by a section on design guidance with examples. Cyclists, children, birdwatchers and boating enthusiasts are thoughtfully included.

The guide is titled Outdoor Accessibility Guidance: Supporting inclusive outdoor access in the UK. The downloadable guide is 14MB. The Sensory Trust produced the guide.