Skip to main content

Publication launch: Access and Persons with Disabilities in Urban Areas

Luis Artieda

Moderator

date June 29, 2022 | 12:30 - 13:30
place
Urban Expo: Urban Library room
organization
World Enabled
country
United States of America
language
English
theme
Equitable urban futures
Reference: 
UL 13

Summary

This event will be a publication launch for the newest installment in the Access for All series, Access and Persons with Disabilities in Urban Areas. The Access for All series reports focus on different user groups, and their specific mobility and access needs. To date, two Access for All editions are published: Access and Gender (2019), and Access and Babies, Toddlers and Their Caregivers (January 2022). Access is the key enabler of equity in cities. Speaking about access and mobility through lenses of vulnerable groups sheds a compelling light on the gaps in transportation and urban planning of cities. Access for All: Access and Persons with Disabilities in Urban Areas offers universal design criteria that will help decision makers create spaces that allow all residents to enjoy them on equal terms. It explores accessible transit-oriented development (TOD) and sustainable urban mobility through the lens of persons with disabilities, including physical, social, and institutional barriers, best practice case studies, and recommendations. Walking, cycling, and public transportation alongside transit-oriented development provide the greatest opportunities for reducing mobility barriers, encouraging autonomy in travel, and improving community engagement for persons with disabilities and those with limited mobility, such as pregnant and elderly individuals, young children, and caregivers. ​The launch event will include partners that worked on the development of the report including The Victor Pineda Foundation (dba World Enabled) and ITDP regional representatives. Presenters will speak on key takeaways and recommendations made in the report.

Objectives

Access is not central to the urban and transportation planning frameworks in many cities around the world, and in some cities that include universal access as a core goal, policies often are left behind in practice. In addition, universal access can be treated as a topic of cyclical interest, that does not become embedded in urban policies and visions, nor in the frameworks used by the transport sector at large. Given these challenges, this event has three key objectives: (1) Bring together decision-makers, practitioners, and the nonprofit community to learn about and garner interest in the perspective of access through the lens of persons with disabilities, using frameworks presented in the “Access and Persons with Disabilities in Urban Areas” report. (2) Showcase cities around the world that have enacted universal design and accessibility principles on the ground. Representatives from each of the cities will be invited to attend, so attendees may be able to learn about ongoing work and develop global connections. (3) Encourage cross-sectoral collaboration between experts in the transport, urban planning, accessibility, and disability rights fields. This session will highlight the collaboration gap between sectors, and encourage participants to engage with experts across different organizations and specialties.

Session speakers

Speaker
Role
Organization
Country
Mr. Victor Pineda
President
Pineda Foundation (World Enabled)
Mr. Luis Artieda
Partnerships Manager
Pineda Foundation (World Enabled)
Ms. Mackenzie Allan
Senior Research Associate
ITDP Global
Ms. Aimee Gauthier
Chief Knowledge Officer
ITDP Global
Ms. Sandra Willis
Officer
IDA