Building Accessible Cities for All

“What attracts other people most, it would appear, is other people. If I belabor the point, it is because many urban spaces are being designed as if the opposite were true.” -William H. Whyte, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces

When our public spaces are built with people of all ages, physical abilities, gender identities, and languages in mind, the payoff is huge. Unfortunately, many existing public spaces fail to do that. In the words of visionary urbanist Gil Penalosa’s, “We have to stop building cities as if everyone is 30 years-old and athletic.”

Meeting the needs of an entire community requires an in-depth understanding of it’s demographic make-up, which isn’t always easy. However, visualized data can help make sense and highlight opportunities where change (or development) is needed.

Rethinking Accessibility

The disability community has its own unique challenges when navigating the urban landscape. Many public transportation systems aren’t wheelchair accessible at most stops, excluding some users from any practical use of the system altogether. When blizzards hit, people in wheelchairs are often kept home twice as long as able-bodied drivers, since snow removal procedures tend to prioritize car traffic. Disabled residents also face housing challenges–rentals equipped to fit their needs are often hard to come by.

Narrow sidewalks and linear benches make it difficult for deaf people to communicate with one another, because there isn’t sufficient ‘signaling space.’ It is also difficult for deaf people to hand sign while trying to safely navigate a visually-busy urban environment.

These challenges deeply impact the way residents live, work, and thrive in a city. For planners and city officials, identifying where challenges occur is the first step to building more inclusive places.

Great Strides in US Cities

Washington D.C., Seattle, Raleigh, and Denver are leading the way in creating deaf-friendly environments. To support blind residents, many cities have installed tactile paving or variations in the texture of the sidewalk to indicate intersections. In Brussels, very specific tactile patterns lead blind subway patrons to an audio-info box and different tactile patterns indicate the edge of the platform.

Alongside the multitude of challenges that disability communities face in the urban environment are a multitude of solutions. Designers, planners, and activists have outlined a lot of positive approaches. With the help of visualized data, those approaches can be better implemented and used to clearly identify where lines of support are needed most.

Proportion of Americans with Disabilities by State

Nationwide, 12.6 percent of Americans experience a disability.

As of 2010, the Census definition of disability has been adjusted to indicate the challenges that any given citizen faces, rather than the diagnosis.

National Breakdown of Needs

Census Terminology:

Vision Difficulty: Blind or having serious difficulty seeing, even when wearing glasses.

Hearing Difficulty: Deaf or having serious difficulty hearing.

Self-Care Difficulty: Having difficulty bathing or dressing.

Cognitive Difficulty: Because of a physical, mental, or emotional problem, having difficulty remembering, concentrating, or making decisions.

Ambulatory Difficulty: Having serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.

Understanding which kind of disabilities are most prevalent at the national level is interesting. Knowing the breakdown of difficulties in your community is absolutely essential to serving those residents well.

Case Study: Newark, New Jersey

Surprisingly, some of the highest concentrations of Americans with disabilities are in very rural communities and more than a handful of touristy coastal towns. Although those towns often have a higher concentration of disabled residents than metropolitan areas, they are often smaller than a single Census Tract, making analysis difficult.

Newark was chosen as an example because it is relatively walkable, dense, and, over the past decade, has made remarkable investments in public transportation. The city is ADA compliant and is working hard to make sure resources are available for all.

A Breakdown of the Data in Newark

In Newark more than 7,000 residents have self-care difficulties, over 20,000 have ambulatory difficulties or challenges with mobility, and just under 13,000 experience cognitive difficulties. Nineteen-thousand residents have vision challenges, even with glasses, and 5,000 have hearing issues. Relative to other American metropolitan areas, Newark has a population of residents living with disabilities slightly above the average.

Areas of Newark Where 15 Percent or More of Residents Experience a Disability

The charts below represent the darkest Census Tract on the map where 30 percent of residents live with a disability.

It’s apparent that some needs are more concentrated geographically. Seventy percent of residents who experience an ambulatory disability, that is people who have trouble walking or climbing stairs, live in these areas.

Additional Findings: Intersecting Demographics

By creating a built environment that accommodates the need of residents living with a disability, the benefits are reaped by the surrounding community. In areas where Newark’s elderly population (ages 65+) and Newark’s disabled community overlap, innovations like wider sidewalks, improved snow-removal procedures, and rental properties that meet ADA standards grow the community as a whole.

See the Census Tract that arrow is pointing to? The charts below provide more information for that specific tract where more than 30% of residents are living with a disability and 22% is over the age of 65.

Ultimate Inclusiveness Starts with Data

Re-thinking urban inclusiveness can feel like a daunting task. When our cities, parks, and transit systems are already designed with the needs of able-bodied citizens in mind, expanding our ideas of who our stakeholders are takes some work. Luckily, designers, planners, and activists from around the country have already laid the foundation for that work and pioneered practical solutions.

When you are able to identify where residents with disabilities live, as well as their primary needs, focusing efforts becomes easier. Coupling those geographic demographics with some local stakeholder engagement will help you create an urban landscape that is inclusive for everyone you serve.

To understand more about the demographic make-up of your community, request an interactive report here.

About the Author: Michelle Stockwell is a senior Politics major at Hendrix College.