Professional Practice

The number of pedestrians killed while walking increased 35 percent over the last decade. 2016 and 2017 were the deadliest years for pedestrians since 1990. Studies have wheelchair users are 36 percent more likely to be killed in a car crash, and pedestrians over 65 have nearly twice the fatality rate, if struck by a car, than the general population. 

Car-based neighborhoods, with little access to public transit and minimal, if any, sidewalks, do not support those who are deaf or hard of hearing, blind or have low vision, autistic or have cognitive disabilities, or older adult populations. Consulting people from these communities on the challenges they face navigating the built environment and including them in the planning and design process ensures everyone's needs are met.   

Everyone should be able to experience their community, regardless of ability, without fearing for their safety. Landscape architects and designers plan and design universally-designed neighborhoods, characterized by: 

Walkability / Traversability: Wide and level sidewalks, with frequent places to stop and rest, organized into an inter-connected grid, create walkable and wheelchair-accessible neighborhoods that promote healthy lifestyles, encourage social connectivity, and reduce car speeds. The ASLA sustainable transportation guide offers further insight into the importance of walkability / traversability. 

Safe intersections: Curb cuts should be offered at every intersection, in the direction of travel, and with tactile paving as wide as the crosswalk. These should feature multi-sensory signals, pedestrian islands, and designated crosswalks. The National Association of City Transportation Officials has an extensive guide to safe intersection design. 

Multi-modal, accessible transportation: When the need arises to travel beyond what is reasonably reached by foot or wheelchair, reliable public transportation can extend a person's social sphere considerably. Transit options should be easily accessible, have clear routes with frequent transfer points, and be easily navigable with information in various languages and formats.

Public transportation must be universally accessible if we want to connect neighborhoods to the larger region. The Portland Mall Revitalization project, designed by ZGF Architects and landscape architects with Mayer/Reed, runs the entire length of downtown Portland, Oregon, connecting six districts (see image above). It creates a multi-modal street that incorporates Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) light rail trains, buses, cars, bikes, and pedestrian traffic. The trams meet the stops at grade, offering a seamless transition between the sidewalk and public transit, increasing the ease with which people can enter and exit public transportation. Covered waiting areas that are evenly well-lit at night, seating with arms, and easy-to-read signage and auditory signals improve accessibility.

Multi-sensory wayfinding: Too often, vision is the only method of navigating the neighborhood. High-contrast, tactile paving, and auditory crosswalk signals can aid in wayfinding for blind pedestrians or people who have low vision and deaf or hard of hearing pedestrians. For safety on busy streets, it is crucial that material changes in sidewalk paving, which indicate to blind people and those with low vision the different zones of the sidewalk, be used consistently throughout the neighborhood. QR codes and accessible online transit planning tools are also important navigational support tools. 

Legible signage: Frequent and clear signage indicating walking distances to destinations promotes travel by foot or wheelchair within neighborhoods. The signs should be legible to those in wheelchair and include braille for the blind. 

Legible Sydney incorporates braille into its signage and installed plaques with the street name at intersections to help blind people navigate the city. The plaques are part of a larger signage system that indicate the time it would take pedestrians to travel within the city. Legible Sydney, Sydney, Australia, City of Sydney / City of Sydney

Access to necessities: Density achieved through mixed-use and multi-unit housing places more people within proximity to various services. Ideally, these are connected by a walkable and wheelchair-accessible network of paths with safe, covered seating at frequent intervals.

Ability to age in place: 87 percent of people over age 65 want to age in place. Grocery stores, doctors’ offices, pharmacies, restaurants, and green space should be within 800 meters (0.5 miles). Routine activities reinforce social engagement and independence, improve mental health, and allow people to forestall moving to more expensive assisted living housing.

Lively main streets in small towns: Activity along main streets can slow traffic and promote economic growth. Zoning that reduces parking spaces and creates room for transit lets communities make room for safe social spaces on their streets.

One-stop parking: In cases where driving is a necessity, organizing shops, restaurants, parking, doctor's offices and other services closely together let's people park once and then walk or use a wheelchair to reach each of their destinations. In rural areas, this can enliven the downtown area and encourage socializing on the street. 

Organizations

AARP Livable Communities