A Guardian Cities article by Emily Yates “People aren’t disabled, their city is”: inside Europe’s most accessible city. Publication date: May 2019 Ranking: useful Article describes writer’s experience as a disabled person in travelling around the Dutch city of Breda…
Blog Archives
“People aren’t disabled their city is…”
Tagged with: disability, historic buildings, inclusive access, public realm, ramps
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Urban Design
How to design unequally
ProPublica Original article by Lena Groeger Discrimination by Design Publication date: 2016 Ranking: useful Sub-titled “the many way design decisions treat people unequally,” this article highlights some examples in social media and environmental design in America. The article picks out…
Tagged with: design, inclusive access
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment)
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment)
Building for Everyone
National Disability Authority Building for Everyone – a universal design approach Publication date: 2012 Ranking: useful In their words: “… provides comprehensive best practice guidance on how to design, build and manage buildings and spaces so that they can be readily…
Tagged with: design, disability, inclusive access, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Urban Design
Designing with downsizers
University of Sheffield. DWELL – Designing for well-being in environments for later life. Authors: Adam Park, Friederike Ziegler and Sarah Wigglesworth. Designing with downsizers Publication date: 2016 Ranking: useful In their words: “Downsizing – rather like much else to do…
Tagged with: age, design, down-sizing, housing, Independent living
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Planning, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Planning, Urban Design
Designing for well-being in later life
DWELL research project, University of Sheffield DWELL (Designing for Well-being in Environments for Later Life) project Publication date: Ranking: useful DWELL was a multi-disciplinary design research project at the University of Sheffield. EPSRC-funded , the three year project investigated how the design…
Tagged with: age, Co-design, consultation, inclusive access, Independent living, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Housing, Planning, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Housing, Planning, Urban Design
Healthy placemaking
Design Council and Social Change UK Publication date: 2018 Ranking: useful Healthy Placemaking In their words: “(The) Healthy Placemaking report explores the attitudes and behaviours of built environment practitioners towards healthy placemaking. The report makes a valuable contribution to the evidence base,…
Designing healthcare facilities?
Department of Health Health Building Note 00-01 General design guidance for healthcare buildings Publication date: 2014 Ranking: essential In their words: “This Health Building Note (HBN) gives general design guidance for healthcare buildings. It provides an overall picture of the design issues…
Tagged with: healthcare
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Health
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Health
Cities Aren’t Designed For Women
Kate Abbey-Lambertz, Huffington Post. Cities Aren’t Designed For Women. Here’s Why They Should Be. Publication date: April 2016 Ranking: useful The article highlights the grassroots networking that is going on to improve the collective experience of women in cities. The…
Standards make the world accessible for all
British Standards Institute BSi documentary – Building accessibility Publication date: 2017 Ranking: essential Why are accessibility standards important? How do standards help designers? How can we make the World Wide Web wider? With a new documentary on accessibility, BSI Group…
Tagged with: design, disability, inclusive access
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Disability
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Disability
Mobility. Mood. Place.
Mobility, Mood and Place (MMP) is a multidisciplinary collaboration between: The University of Edinburgh Heriot-Watt University King’s College London Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York Publication date: June 2017 Ranking: useful Mobility.Mood.Place. The Mobility, Mood and Place research project has been…
Tagged with: age, Co-design, Dementia, Independent living
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Planning, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Planning, Urban Design
Working for age friendly communities
Centre for Aging Publication date: various Ranking: useful Age friendly community In their own words: “In age-friendly communities, people of all ages actively participate, it is easy for people to stay connected, active and healthy in later life, and appropriate…
Tagged with: age, Dementia, health, Independent living, planning
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Planning, Service Provision, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Planning, Service Provision, Urban Design
Designing with people
Helen Hamlyn Trust Designing with people Publication date: Ranking: essential In their words: “This web-based resource has been created by the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art to share ways to design with people. Get…
Tagged with: Co-design, consultation, inclusive access
Posted in Auditing, Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Project Management
Posted in Auditing, Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Project Management
Design for dementia
Bill Halsall, Halsall Lloyd Partnership and Dr. Rob MacDonald, Liverpool Moores University. Design for Dementia, Volume 1 – A Guide Design for Dementia, Volume 2 – Research Projects Publication date: 2015 Ranking: useful In their words: ‘Design for Dementia’ is a…
Tagged with: Dementia, design, housing, Independent living
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Urban Design
Who do we design for?
Microsoft Design The case for inclusive design Publication date: 2016 Ranking: useful In their words: “If we use our own abilities and biases as a starting point, we end up with products designed for people of a specific gender, age,…
Tagged with: Co-design, design, inclusive access, Independent living
Posted in Consultation, Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Private Sector
Posted in Consultation, Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Private Sector
Building for Equality: Disability and the Built Environment
House of Commons Select Committee: Women and Equalities Building for Equality: Disability and the Built Environment Publication date: 2017 Ranking: essential Download a copy here from the Parliament website The report sets out the Select Committee’s findings and recommendations on…
Tagged with: access, disability, inclusive access, Independent living, legislation
Posted in Building Regulations, Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Highways, Paving, Urban Design
Posted in Building Regulations, Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Highways, Paving, Urban Design
8 minutes, 34 seconds of your time
Design Council Inclusive Environments Publication date: 2016 Ranking: Essential This short film sets out the principles and methods to design and implement an inclusive environment for everyone. It has been commissioned as part of the Design Council’s work on their Inclusive…
Tagged with: design, inclusive access
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Project Management
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Project Management
Accessible Street Charter
Equality and Diversity Team, North Somerset Council Publication date: 2017 Ranking: essential The charter is based on work undertaken by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB), to promote the concept of charters which set out the key principles…
Tagged with: Dementia, disability, inclusive access, public realm, visual impairment, women
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Urban Design
Design toolkit
MediaLAB Amsterdam Publication date: 2016 Ranking: useful This toolkit sets out in detail all the various stages to design from initial ideas to implementation looking at what needs to be considered and how it should be carried out. Stages include,…
Tagged with: Co-design, design, design methods
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Project Management, Service Provision
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Project Management, Service Provision
Successful places and spaces
Project for Public Places What makes a place successful? Publication date: various Ranking: useful In their words: “Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a nonprofit planning, design and educational organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain public spaces that…
Tagged with: inclusive access, places, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Urban Design
Poverty, place and inequality
Victoria Pinoncely, Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). Poverty, place and inequality – a policy paper Publication date: May 2016 Ranking: useful The paper puts forward the idea that place-based approaches are the best way tackle poverty and inequality. In their…
Tagged with: inequality, poverty, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Urban Design
An environment for all ages
Kt-equal A built environment for all ages Publication date: March 2010 Ranking: useful Notes of a workshop held in 2010 looking at evidence that well-designed outdoor spaces can enhance long term health and well-being for people who use them regularly.…
Tagged with: age, Dementia, health, inclusive access, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Health, Landscaping, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Health, Landscaping, Urban Design
Dementia and Town Planning
Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Dementia and Town Planning – RTPI Practice Advice Publication date: January 2017 Ranking: useful In their own words… “This practice note gives advice on how good planning can create better environments for people living with dementia. It…
Tagged with: Dementia, disability, friendly communities, planning, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Urban Design
Shared space assessment
Paper by: Bart J.M. Melis-Dankers, Else M. Havik and Aart C. Kooijman (Royal Dutch Visio, Centre of Expertise for Blind and Visually Impaired People) Frank J.J.M. Steyvers, (University of Groningen, Department of Psychology, Groningen) Helen Petrie, (University of York, Department…
Tagged with: inclusive access, public realm, visual impairment
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
Core disability design documents
Compiled by North Somerset Council Equality and Diversity Team. Publication date: December 2016 Ranking: essential These documents are the key ones which we feel underpin most design work from service delivery to transport, interior design or the public realm. Disability…
Tagged with: core design guides, design, disability
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Urban Design
Tactile paving consultation 2015
Department for Transport (DfT) Interim changes to the Guidance on the use of Tactile Paving Surfaces Publication date: 2015 Ranking: essential This document sets out the proposed changes that the DfT consulted on in 2015. It proposed changes to the way…
Tagged with: public realm, tactile paving, visual impairment
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
Creating age-friendly cities
Houses of Parliament Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology Creating age-friendly cities Publication date: 2016 Ranking: useful This POSTnote from the examines how housing, outdoor spaces and transport can be made more age-friendly. As the number of older people living…
Tagged with: age, housing, inclusive access, Independent living, planning, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Planning, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Planning, Urban Design
Urban streets
National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) The Urban Street Design Guide Publication date: 2013 Ranking: useful This US guide sets out key principles and practices used by engineers, planners, and designers working across America. Described as “a blueprint for designing…
Tagged with: public realm, streets, Transport
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Urban Design
Building better places
House of Lords Select Committee on National Policy for the Built Environment. Building Better Places Publication date: February 2016 Ranking: useful This report covers the findings of the Select Committee. The Committee commented: “(the) …cumulative effect of progressively diluting the capacity…
Tagged with: access, design, disability, housing, inclusive access, planning
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Private Sector, Service Provision
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Private Sector, Service Provision
So how good is tactile paving?
Rodney A. Hunter, Hannah Consulting. Slip resistance of tactile surface indicators Publication date: 2016 Ranking: useful This Australian piece of research assesses the slip resistance of tactile paving when wet and in varying conditions from brand new to very worn.…
Tagged with: disability, public realm, tactile paving
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
LLDC Inclusive Design Standards
London Legacy Development Corporation LLDC Inclusive Design Standards Publication date: March 2013 Ranking: useful This document sets out the design standards used by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) as a part of the Olympic Legacy process. It develops the guidance…
Building dementia friendly communities for everyone
Geraldine Green, Senior Policy Officer and Louise Lakey, Policy Manager, Alzheimer’s Society Building dementia friendly communities: A priority for everyone Publication date: 2013 Ranking: useful This report describes the views of people affected by dementia and their carers. It explores the barriers…
Tagged with: Dementia, Independent living, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Urban Design
Playing out in the woods!
Forestry Commission England Design guidance for play space Publication date: 2006 Ranking: This short guidance note sets out principles for considering the needs of the people who will use the space. Using multi-disciplinary teams it aims to show how naturalistic…
An alternative age-friendly handbook
Sophie Handler; UK Urban Ageing Consortium | Age Uk | Royal Institute of British Architects | Age-friendly Manchester | Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing. An alternative age-friendly handbook Publication date: 2014 Ranking: useful This handbook provides practitioners with a series…
Tagged with: age, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Urban Design
People with dementia and the physical environment
North Somerset Council Equality and Diversity Team Publication date: 2014 Ranking: Essential (North Somerset Council) This document focuses on the public realm at both the local neighbourhood level as well as town and city centres. It therefore may be of…
Tagged with: Dementia, design, Independent living, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
Design Principles for Extra Care
Housing LIN Publication date: February 2008 Ranking: useful This fact sheet gives essential basic information about key design principles and issues to consider when designing and developing a brief for a new Extra Care Scheme. Case studies illustrate the variety…
Making your project accessible for disabled people
Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Publication date: December 2012 Ranking: useful This guidance has been written to support bids for funding to the HLF. It looks at how it is possible to improve projects so that disabled people, (visitors, volunteers or staff),…
Tagged with: design, disability, heritage
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Historic Buildings & Landscapes
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Historic Buildings & Landscapes
The design of streets with older people in mind: 13 part toolkit
I’DGO Publication date: 2007 and 2012 Ranking: useful The Design of Streets with Older People in Mind is a 13 part toolkit; each part addressing a different environmental feature of streets and neighbourhoods. It is based on research undertaken by…
Landscape Design for Dementia Care
Housing LIN Publication date: July 2013 Ranking: useful This Factsheet is intended to be used as a tool to further debate on the subject of design for dementia care in the specialist housing sector. The principles of landscape design for…
Tagged with: age, Dementia, landscaping, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Health, Landscaping, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Health, Landscaping, Urban Design
Local Transport Note 1/11
Department for Transport Publication date: 2011 Ranking: essential This Local Transport Note (LTN) focuses on shared space in high street environments but many of its principles will apply in other settings. It places particular emphasis on stakeholder engagement and inclusive…
Tagged with: design, disability, inclusive access, public realm, Transport
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
Neighbourhoods for life Checklist
Housing Corporation Publication date: 2004 Ranking: useful This checklist gives a range of design recommendations to help housing associations improve the quality of life of older people with dementia in the outdoor environment. How to view a copy To…
Tagged with: disability, housing, Independent living, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Housing, Landscaping, Planning, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Housing, Landscaping, Planning, Urban Design
Neighbourhoods for Life: Designing dementia-friendly outdoor environments
Oxford Brookes University Publication date: 2004 Ranking: useful The number of older people in the UK is rising dramatically, particularly in the age group of 85 years and above. As the likelihood of developing dementia increases with age, reaching a one…
Tagged with: Dementia, design, Independent living
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Health, Planning, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Health, Planning, Urban Design
City health check
RIBA Publication date: 2013 Ranking: useful Do our cities support healthy, active choices on a daily basis? Does the architecture and urban design of our cities impact on public health? In this health check the RIBA report compares three serious…
Tagged with: health, public realm
Posted in Auditing, Design Standards (Environment), Health, Urban Design
Posted in Auditing, Design Standards (Environment), Health, Urban Design
Design and access statement. How to write,read and use them.
Design Council (formerly the Commission for Architecture and Built Environment) Publication date: 2006 Ranking: Essential In May 2006, the government introduced changes to the planning applications process that brought Design and Access Statements into more common use . Though Planning…
Tagged with: access, building regulations, design
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Planning, Project Management
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Planning, Project Management
Accessible Train Station
Department of Transport Publication date: November 2011 Ranking: useful This document outlines the code of practice for Accessible Train Stations specifically designed for disabled people. Covers all issues from platform design and access onto trains to information, kiosks, ramps, doors and car parking.…
Tagged with: disabled people, train stations, trains, Transport
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Rail
Posted in Design Standards (Buildings), Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Rail
Inclusive Design for Getting Outdoors (I’DGO)
I’DGO project Publication date: various Ranking: useful This is a link to the valuable website resource funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as a part of a project that was established in 2003. I’DGO has a longstanding record…
Tagged with: age, design, disability, inclusive access, Independent living, planning, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Health, Highways, Planning, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability, Health, Highways, Planning, Urban Design
Violence, Sexuality and Space Research summary
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Publication date: 2005 Ranking: useful Looks at how homophobic violence results in social exclusion in some geographic areas and the reasons why this occurs. Shows it is not just the way space is designed…
Tagged with: LGB&T, planning, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Planning, sexual orientation, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Planning, sexual orientation, Urban Design
The smoking ban: Perceptions of safety on Edinburgh’s scene
Brunel University Publication date: 2008 Ranking: useful Evaluates the effects on safety of gay people in Edinburgh as a result of the smoking ban. Shows that safety of gay people is compromised when having to stand outside public premises and…
Tagged with: LGB&T, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), sexual orientation, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), sexual orientation, Urban Design
Homophobia and violence against gay people in public space
Maneo-Werkstatt 3 Publication date: 2008 Ranking: useful Report of a workshop by MANEO organisation on pan-European project to look at reporting and the way violence is treated involving gay people. Is useful for understanding issues relating to the management of…
Tagged with: LGB&T, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), sexual orientation, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), sexual orientation, Urban Design
Dementia: design and built environment
Housing Learning and Improvement Network (LIN) Publication date: updated periodically Ranking: useful Follow this link to the Housing LIN website which offers a range of publications and events on housing design and older people with information available on dementia. Other housing and care topics…
Tagged with: design, disability, planning, public realm
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Disability
Access for blind people in towns
The National Federation of the Blind of the UK Publication date: 2012 Ranking: useful This document sets out the general requirements of blind people and of trained guide dogs, in order to provide assistance to planners and designers who are responsible…
Tagged with: footpaths, public realm, visual impairment
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
Posted in Design Standards (Environment), Highways, Urban Design
