Designing universally requires the involvement of users of all ages and abilities in the design development stage. So asking them to comment at a later stage results in cosmetic changes. But inclusive design begins right at the stage of design “thought bubbles”.
Using the experiences of children and older adults, two case studies illustrate the need to utilise universal design principles in neighbourhood planning and design. The authors discuss how universal design is the bridging concept for joined up thinking for greater liveability for all ages. However, entrenched practices based on compliance leave no space for the application of voluntary guidelines whether for one age group or another.
Planning neighbourhoods for all ages and abilities: A multi-generational perspective, is an academic paper. It has several photographs illustrating the findings and the points made in the case studies.
From the abstract
It makes sense to take a more integrated approach to planning our neighbourhoods for the continuum of inhabitants’ ages and abilities. The built environment requirements of diverse groups (e.g. children, older people, and people with disability) are rarely considered.
Applying universal design to neighbourhoods may provide a bridging link. We present two cases from South-East Queensland, Australia, through the lenses of different ages and abilities – older children with physical disabilities and older people. We aim to increase recognition of users’ needs in planning inclusive neighbourhoods.