Creating a public realm for all

Celebrating diversity and working towards inclusion should be central to how we design, build and maintain our infrastructure and in doing so will help move towards creating a public realm for all. This report looks at the challenges involved in achieving accessible transport infrastructure in the public realm. 

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Project Chair

Nick Tyler, Director of the UCL Centre for Transport Studies and Chadwick Professor of Civil Engineering,

   

Objectives of the report

  • Identify existing challenges and barriers that people can face when using the public realm   
  • Collect good practice - both in the UK and worldwide - on inclusive design and technological innovations   
  • Provide a comprehensive literature review of work done in this area 

   

The Report

Register your interest in a specific Creating a Public Realm for all e-learning course based on this research




   

Background

The report summarises the content of several publications, feedback from a stakeholder workshop, and responses to a call for evidence. It is designed to raise awareness of the challenges that people can face, such as disabled people (with physical, sensory, cognitive, or intellectual impairments or differences, which may be readily apparent or non-visible), people with temporary disabilities, older people, people with buggies and luggage, so that transport professionals can produce inclusive designs when planning, designing, or proposing changes to the public realm. 

The report focuses on disability and age because an inaccessible public realm can all too easily restrict people rather than simply inconvenience them. This can subsequently exclude them from public spaces and the activities these are supposed to provide. Improvements made to the accessibility of the public realm will benefit everybody. Public bodies have a duty to eliminate discrimination and advance equality of opportunity for people with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. It should be remembered that many people have more than one protected characteristic; for example, a disabled person may also be an older female person. 

CIHT will develop digital training via the CIHT Learn platform to accompany this report to aid understanding of the issues raised. 


[1] UK Legislation (2010), Equality Act 2010, UK Legislation

   

Progress

To be updated along the course of the project.

    

Lead contributors

The CIHT Policy and Technical team will be developing this project with help from: 
 

  • Project Chair: Nick Tyler, Director of the UCL Centre for Transport Studies and Chadwick Professor of Civil Engineering, 
  • LSTSB Representative: Fiona Blackley 
  • CIHT Technical Champions and the CIHT Partnerships Network  
  • People with lived experience of health conditions or impairments, representatives from disability groups, urban planners, highway engineers, researchers and other experts in the field 

  

How this report is being developed

This report will be developed through researched gathered from: 

  • Workshops with key stakeholders 
  • A call for evidence. 
  • Review of the draft report by those who contributed to the workshop and responded to the call for evidence 

   

Creating a Public Realm for All CIHT Learn courses

EDI CIHT Learn Courses [free to CIHT members and free to non-members after registration for CIHT Learn]

·     EDI in the workplace

·     The Diversity Challenge

·     Inclusion essentials

·     Allyship (0.5 hours CPD)

·     Tackling age bias (0.5 hours CPD)

·     Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (1 hour CPD)

·     Banter in the workplace (0.5 hours CPD)

 

CIHT Learn Courses - Inclusive mobility [free to CIHT paying members and charge for non-members]

·    Stakeholder and public engagement

·      Understanding disability (1.5 hours CPD)

·      Designing highways and transportation for people with dementia

Creating a Public Realm for All CIHT publications

CIHT Publications

·     Designing for walking. (2015) 

·     Buses in Urban Developments. (2016)

·     Creating better streets: Inclusive and accessible places. (2018)

·     Better planning, better transport, better places (2019)

Your voice @ CIHT

If you would like to contribute your knowledge or experiences then please email the CIHT Policy and Technical team at technical@ciht.org.uk  

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Join other savvy professionals just like you at CIHT.  We are  committed to fulfilling your professional development needs throughout your career

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