Inclusive Communities: Building For The Future
How we design streets, buildings and public transportation determines how freely people are able to live in those communities. However, our society was designed in a way that largely favors able-bodied people of average height and weight.
This month, we sat down with Jordana Maisel, Director of Research at the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA), to talk about how to design an inclusive community, and examples of changes being made in cities around America.
Housing Visitability Standards
Visitability is a growing national trend that refers to … housing designed [to] be lived in or visited by people who have trouble with steps or who use wheelchairs or walkers.”
We previously talked about the importance of buying a home with enabling design features, so that you aren’t forced out of the home as you age … but did you know that there’s a movement for all new homes to be built with basic enabling features? According to the National Council on Independent Living, visitability is a growing national trend that refers to single-family or owner-occupied housing designed in such a way that it can be lived in or visited by people who have trouble with steps or who use wheelchairs or walkers. It requires 3 basic features: a) a zero-step entrance; b) doors with 32 inches of clear passage space, and c) a bathroom on the main floor.
“The goal of visitability is not necessarily to enable aging in place,” shared Maisel. Visitability just allows someone with mobility impairments or difficulty getting into or out of the house to visit someone else for a limited time and have some independence.”
Visitability just allows someone with mobility impairments or difficulty getting into or out of the house to visit someone else for a limited time and have some independence.
The National Council on Independent Living adds that everyone benefits from visitability, whether it’s a young mother with a baby stroller, college students moving out with their boxes and belongings, or a homeowner getting new cabinets from the front porch into the house. Yet although a community with homes that incorporate visitability would benefit everyone, it’s difficult to make a national change.
“Over the years, there have been federal bills introduced to Congress that would require every single-family home built with federal funds to have these three visitability features, but it has never gained much traction and has been bounced around from committee to committee work,” shared Maisel.
However, local communities have begun advocating for these changes. For example, Access to Independence of Cortland County is encouraging Cortland residents to urge legislators to support visitable housing. “Tell City and County officials to support, incentivize or require that all newly constructed homes be built using visitability design features,” writes ATI Cortland on its website. “Share why you believe visitability gives you confidence in knowing that your community is truly livable.”
Complete Streets
How do we create inclusively designed streets?
As an urban planner, Maisel studied the streetscape policies that municipalities were adopting to try to create complete streets — safe streets that can be used by everyone. According to Smart Growth America, a complete street may include sidewalks, bike lanes (or wide paved shoulders), special bus lanes, comfortable and accessible public transportation stops, frequent and safe crossing opportunities, median islands, accessible pedestrian signals, curb extensions, narrower travel lanes, roundabouts, and more.
Complete streets help create livable communities especially for the most vulnerable people who use our streets
“How ‘complete streets’ look in one community can be very different from how it looks in another, it’s very context-specific,” shared Maisel.
In her past work, Maisel surveyed municipalities with a complete street policy that implemented street design changes and documented their performance. She found a high level of satisfaction with the street improvements, no impact on traffic volume, and lower rates of vehicle crashes.
The Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which lays out the federal guidelines that municipalities must follow, was written during a time when streetscapes prioritized cars over sidewalks, public transportation, and other aspects of complete streets. Therefore, creating complete streets involves changing existing infrastructure.
However, communities are taking the steps to make these changes. For example, Syracuse is undertaking a highway project, the I-81 Viaduct Project, and has showcased its plans to include roundabouts, sidewalks, bike lanes, crosswalks, and recreational locations. The project highlights multiple ways for people to share comments on the project to The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) or speak at public hearings.
“Complete Streets help create livable communities especially for the most vulnerable people who use our streets, including children, people living with disabilities, older adults, and people who cannot afford or do not have access to a car,” shared Smart Growth America. “Complete Streets improve equity, safety, and public health while reducing transportation costs and traffic woes.”
Public Transportation
Having safe and accessible public transportation options and on-demand services is another important aspect of an inclusive community. “Equitable design is critical. As we look to the future, we need to learn from our mistakes and make sure we don’t create new transportation options that exclude segments of the population,” shared Maisel.
Issues of inclusion are critical, people with disabilities are more dependent on public transportation and require options that allow for flexibility, spontaneity and independence.
Paratransit allows people who can’t use public transportation to have another option for traveling but requires you to book 24 hours in advance. “We need to create on-demand services and work with vehicle manufacturers so that different users, such as individuals who use wheeled mobility devices, can use it,” shared Maisel. ”Issues of inclusion are critical, people with disabilities are more dependent on public transportation and require options that allow for flexibility, spontaneity and independence.”
Maisel goes on to explain that having an accessible vehicle is one component, but the whole process needs to be considered and addressed. “The website (with information on scheduling, routes, etc.) needs to be accessible, the person needs to be able to get to the transit stop, get on the vehicle, secure themselves, and disembark,” she shared. “Any hiccup along the way makes the system inaccessible; we don’t want anyone to get stranded along their trip.”
An inclusive community empowers all members of that community, regardless of age or ability, so that they can live freely and independently. However, the designs and policies needed vary based on that community and the context. Only locals know what needs to change, and there are ways to urge your local government to get ahead of new housing and infrastructure with mandatory policies that make the community better for all. As the demographics in America continue to shift and the older population grows, so does the share of the population with lessened abilities. As members of our community, it’s up to us to create an environment that allows all members of our community to live freely.
For some more resources on this topic: