The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) create a new guide for Universal Design
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has recently published a new guide for creating Universally Designed spaces, laying out best practices for designing external environments which are inclusive for people of all abilities, broken down into a number of key spaces;
- Neighbourhoods;
- Streets;
- Parks and plazas
- Playgrounds;
- Gardens.
The new guide attempts to move away from the focus on technical aspects of providing accessible environments and minimum requirements, as set out by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Often, when a design relies solely on heavily technical and standardised specifications, it can leave people physically and mentally disconnected from a space instead of a design which strives for a more innovative approach to designing for everybody.
It is envisioned that landscape architects and designers can use the principles of Universal Design to create more inclusive spaces for people with a wide range of disabilities, elderly people, people with a lack of community access, and neurodevelopmental or intellectual disabilities. The main principles the guide promotes to achieve the goal of more inclusive spaces are to make spaces;
- Accessible;
- Comfortable;
- Participatory;
- Ecological;
- Legible;
- Multi-sensory;
- Predictable;
- Walkable/Traversable.
The guide provides an interesting, forward thinking approach to designing external environments, in opposition of a strict technically based discipline which, in some cases, achieves the opposite of its intensions. By employing the principles of universal design over minimum requirements the guide aims to promote spaces that offer more inclusive external spaces for everybody to enjoy and experience.
For more information and to read the complete guide, click here.
If you have any queries on how external environments can be made more accessible and incorporate more Universal Design elements, you can contact a member of our team on (01) 415 12 85 or e-mail [email protected]
