The safety, comfort, and accessibility of the pedestrian realm of our cities is improving slowly, though unequally. Improving the streets for pedestrian access is not just about adding or widening sidewalks; there are a wide range of design solutions to improve access, safety, and experience. Increasingly, cities are making investments to fill sidewalk gaps, improve ADA compliance, install pedestrian-activated signalized crossings, construct streetscape improvements, and build trails.
This workshop will consider not only how to achieve pedestrian infrastructure, but how to do so using the dual lenses of equity and universal accessibility. Through exercises and storytelling, we will probe at how to integrate pedestrian safety, equity, and accessibility at each of the the phases of project development, from planning through design to construction. As a way to frame the conversation, Amy Parker will facilitate a simulation exercise that allows participants to experience different abilities by using a low vision simulator, blindfold, or wheelchair, and observe how this affects their experience of the environment. The workshop will then consider how this experience relates to a framework for design, inclusion, and equity and different phases of the project development process. We will consider case examples of what’s working, and missed opportunities, in practice.
KEY TAKEAWAYS- Tangible experiences of differently abled people moving through the city that will provide essential perspective for all designers, planners, and leaders
- Insight into how to recognize decision points in the project development life cycle, to apply the lenses of equity and universal access
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CREDITSThis half-day workshop is eligible for 3.5 hours of professional development credit through AICP (
see our provider summary). We can provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.
