December 3 marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities – a day to encourage understanding and increase awareness of the need to be inclusive of people with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
This year’s theme is ‘Inclusion Matters: Access and Empowerment for People of All Abilities’ and at Auckland Council we are working in many areas to do just that.
Accessible Auckland
Our commitment to creating a strong, inclusive and equitable society and a well-designed built environment is set out in the Auckland Plan. The council recognises that accessibility is a big part of the equation, and critical to achieving our vision to make Auckland the world’s most liveable city.
Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse and Auckland Council Design Champion Ludo Campbell-Reid explain this journey in a short video called Accessible Auckland, created by Be.accessible.
The Deputy Mayor explains that Auckland’s vision for its people and its communities is one where everyone is fully able to participate in the life of this beautiful city.
“For people to see our city as one that is diverse, vibrant and inclusive is important. As a city, we are indeed changing the way we’re thinking and making Auckland more and more accessible.”
Making cities inclusive and accessible for all is a key theme of the Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (SCRPD). The secretariat outlines universal design principles that ensure spaces are easily usable for absolutely everyone, including people with low vision and blindness, and regardless of a user's experience, knowledge, disability, physical size, language skills or current concentration and energy levels.
Shared spaces
Ludo Campbell-Reid explains that the council has adopted these principals in the city centre’s shared spaces – streets transformed around the concept of accessibility.
“Previously, there has been a domain for pedestrians and a domain for cars. We met with the Blind Institute of New Zealand very early on and together we came up with the concept of an accessibility strip that acts as a type of braille that you can feel underfoot,” he says.
“In essence, cities are about people and if you understand people, you understand how to design great cities.”
Auckland Council’s Design Office, headed up by Campbell-Reid, has also recently created a dedicated role of Principal Specialist Universal Access and Design, with a focus on accessibility in the built environment.
Auckland Design Manual
Check out the Auckland Design Manual for information on how Auckland Council is encouraging designers and developers to incorporate universal design and Lifemark standards.
