Inclusive Design For Public Places
As more local councils, communities, and schools are recognising, spaces should ideally be inclusive and accessible to all ages, abilities, cultures, and interests. But in attempting to do so, how do we measure the unique needs of the community being designed for?
IMAGE CREDIT ABOVE
Location: Launceston, TAS
Image Credit: Nude Design Studio
"Inclusive, Healthy Places"
by NPRA & GehlThe US National Parks and Recreation Association partnered with international stalwarts Gehl to develop a framework hoping to solve this issue.
The Inclusive, Healthy Places Framework’ is a one-stop doc of indices for professionals to gather and integrate into planning, development and programming of public spaces. Ultimately, it is a tool that can equip professionals with a common language and understanding of what is needed to measure and elevate community priorities.
The four principles (you get the gist, let’s get straight into it!) :
1. Community context
Build a baseline understanding of the existing
community conditions such as demographics, lived experiences, predictors of exclusion, and current assets.
2. Inclusion process
Measure levels of participation, depth of social networks, knowledge of public process, and trust of institutions and neighbours, and how they might support or hinder inclusion processes.
3. Design and program
Design and program for health equity by improving quality of public spaces, enhancing access, accessibility (two distinct measurables), safety, and diversity.
4. Sustaining inclusion
Foster the capacity of local communities to engage with changes in place over time by promoting agency, representation and stability.
Check out the full document here for specifics on how each of these principles can be measured. They don't all need to be addressed at once, choose which ones are most applicable and achievable for your project!
1. Community context
Build a baseline understanding of the existing
community conditions such as demographics, lived experiences, predictors of exclusion, and current assets.
2. Inclusion process
Measure levels of participation, depth of social networks, knowledge of public process, and trust of institutions and neighbours, and how they might support or hinder inclusion processes.
3. Design and program
Design and program for health equity by improving quality of public spaces, enhancing access, accessibility (two distinct measurables), safety, and diversity.
4. Sustaining inclusion
Foster the capacity of local communities to engage with changes in place over time by promoting agency, representation and stability.
Check out the full document here for specifics on how each of these principles can be measured. They don't all need to be addressed at once, choose which ones are most applicable and achievable for your project!
Introducing the HEROall table - our flagship model with improved wheelchair accessibility
Spence Park in Penrith, NSW received a mighty upgrade last year, one that was designed by budding landscape architects and future users of the Inclusive, Healthy Places framework - local primary school students! Students from Penrith Public School mapped out local demographics, and assessed the accessibility, habitat, and shade of the site. They then developed a design inclusive of all ages, interests, and abilities - including interactive zones for young and old, new shaded areas, modern landscaping, and wheelchair accessible footpaths, picnic areas, play equipment, and the all-new HEROall POPP ping pong table!
The team requested a HERO table customised to be wheelchair accessible and we developed the HEROall - a steel table just as strong and intentionally designed as our HERO with design modifications for improved wheelchair accessibility.
Spence Park in Penrith, NSW received a mighty upgrade last year, one that was designed by budding landscape architects and future users of the Inclusive, Healthy Places framework - local primary school students! Students from Penrith Public School mapped out local demographics, and assessed the accessibility, habitat, and shade of the site. They then developed a design inclusive of all ages, interests, and abilities - including interactive zones for young and old, new shaded areas, modern landscaping, and wheelchair accessible footpaths, picnic areas, play equipment, and the all-new HEROall POPP ping pong table!
The team requested a HERO table customised to be wheelchair accessible and we developed the HEROall - a steel table just as strong and intentionally designed as our HERO with design modifications for improved wheelchair accessibility.