Universal Design in Smart Growth

Leslie Young, The Center for Universal Design, USA

Marcelo Guimaraes, PhD candidate in Design, The Center for Universal Design, USA

Introduction

This presentation examines the concept of "Universal Design" at the scale of neighborhoods and communities. "New Urbanism" and "Smart Growth" have been strong movements influencing urban design in the United States for some time. Both New Urbanism and Smart Growth reflect the principles of "Sustainable Development" in three distinct areas: economic prosperity, environmental preservation and social equity. The authors strive to present examples of "Universal Design" where thoughtful incorporation of the needs of people with a variety of unique physical and/or cognitive abilities and ages lead to integrated design solutions that benefit all members of a community. Reviewing the concepts of accessibility, usability, wayfinding, and visitability through the lens of the ecological model, the authors redefine key criteria for walkable communities and green design incorporating the Principles of Universal Design.

Problem Statement and the Goal of the Working Group Session

The United States is one of the pre-eminent examples of the complex urban/suburban development with an emphasis on privately-owned homes and automobiles. This "American Dream" life-style model is comprised of neighborhoods with individual families living in detached residential units reached via roads and a driveway and buffered by a front yard/garden and a back yard. Small families create territorial frontiers for themselves that become the representation of a more or less isolated self in a social group.

The effect of such remote settings causes distinct functions of the city to be located in large specialized public sectors often far away from one another. The ensuing long distances to employment, schools, shopping areas, civic and cultural buildings force people to become dependent on automobiles, at great societal cost on many levels. People become less active in exploring other potential uses for neighborhood streets and local amenities such as human scale community landmarks, small public gathering spaces and ecologically sound district parks. Gradually, as cities grow larger and become more densely populated, community residents loose the sense of identity with their homes and neighborhoods. City spaces reflect less and less the personal values of individuals and may become more violent. Consequently, the historical value and economic activity of city centers decay while the suburbs evolve into independent pockets of urban life.

The Smart Growth movement is part of the development of revitalizing urban communities in the US. One of the key characteristics of Smart Growth is the creation of walkable neighborhoods, intended to reduce the scale of the urban landscape into small nodes of commerce and public services interspersed with low-rise housing. Smart Growth suggests that the local or municipal government agrees to provide tax incentives for establishing local businesses in favor of large retail stores. Significant emphasis is placed on the development of an integrated public transportation network such as bus lines, light rail trains and streetcars as the primary means of connection between smaller more intimate public settings and neighborhoods. As people feel safe in these contained geographic settings they walk more and become more engaged in nurturing the life of local communities. This encourages people to be more alert to potential threats in or to their neighborhood. As people live in walkable communities, they have more opportunities to share common interests and they rebuild the local social and economy fabric of their community.

Universal Design currently represents the most comprehensive design ideology for recognizing human diversity. An interesting parallel emerges with the inception of walkable communities. The emphasis on the development of public pedestrian areas relies on design alternatives that respond to the needs of distinct groups of users, particularly those with mobility and wayfinding problems. The design of street crossings emphasizes reducing traffic speed so older adults and other people with mobility impairments may negotiate streets crossings safely. Texture and color highlight pedestrian cross walks so drivers and pedestrians can establish better visual contact. In addition, better planning of medians or street green areas ensures a more pleasant microclimate with shaded resting areas. Canopies create weather protection for all pedestrians.

Many people with disabilities, especially people with vision loss do not drive cars. Older pedestrians have a death rate almost twice that of the general public. Universal Design generates better design of transportation systems and pedestrian areas, for example signaling devices can be added at cross walks to alert people with vision loss. Public transportation with housing within walking distance makes employment, recreation, and many other activities possible. Furthermore, universal design proposes housing options with zero step entrances so dwellings are friendlier to residents and their visitors.

Other nations around the world have quite different processes of urban development even though the model of the "American Dream" is an icon that represents, for many, the ideal despite its over emphasis on consumption of mass produced goods. The goal of the working group session is to offer participants an overview of universally designed features and elements as applied to the smart growth model and to provide a forum for discussing the similarities and dissimilarities of this model as compared to trends in urban design in different countries.

Methodology

After an introduction of major concepts and examples the presenters will act as facilitators and will divide the audience into smaller discussion groups. Participants' agenda will focus on exploring the parallel between urban development processes and the needs of people with a variety of ages and unique physical and/or cognitive attributes in urban settings.

The presenters / facilitators will encourage participants to interpret the concept of smart growth and universal design, based on the context of their own culture. A list of major discussion topics and potential initiatives that may lead to user responsive environments will highlight commonalities and differences.

Application of Outcomes

At the end of this working group session, it is expected that participants will have sufficiently explored the Smart Growth and Universal Design concepts so the outcomes reflect different design solutions responding to distinct cultural contexts.

Points of Discussion

The discussion will focus on ways to develop strategies for urban development that reduce the scale of urban problems to a level of manageable factors that can be addressed by community groups. Topics may include housing, e.g., infill housing, privately-owned residences, apartments, condominiums; local community spaces; recreational spaces; and transportation options. Additional discussions may include how do the Smart Growth and Universal Design concepts strengthen one another based on the following four key characteristics?

Environment: Both focus on current and future generations causing less damage to environmental resources over time.

Economy: Both provide economic success, attract businesses and increase services and workforce.

Equity: Both encourage more affordable housing and create better choices in transportation and housing.

Engagement: Both encourage participation in civic life and support healthier and more active life for residents of all ages and activity levels.

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