Universal Design Is Essential to Planning Education

摘要

OF THE STAGGERING one in four people who will experience a disability during their lifetimes, a large portion will have limited mobility. But less than one percent of all housing in the U.S. is readily accessible to people who use wheelchairs. That's proof that all the inclusionary zoning, progressive housing policies, and equitable planning strategies of the past half century have largely failed people with disabilities. We're entering a new redesign and rebuild mode amid decades of seismic change. Universal design, or design usable by everyone to the greatest extent possible without adaptation or specialization, can be a vital planning tool in meeting those demands. It's one of the most sustainable, flexible, durable, and economical ways to create inclusive spaces-but it has yet to be fully embraced by the design community.