Open spaces such as parks can be dangerous and challenging for visually impaired people or those with cognitive impairments. For wheelchair users, too, parks are places for sunny days alone. Making green assets in the heart of cities accessible to all on a year- round basis presents a design challenge.
Imagination, a London-based design consultancy, participated in the DBA Design Challenge 2001 to try to find a more inclusive solution to park design. The design team worked with a selected group of young people with disabilities, predominantly those with visual and sensory impairments whose navigation patterns are distinctly different from those with mobility difficulties. They found out what the users aspired to and what they did not want.
This engagement with users stimulated the designers to develop a park with many inclusive features that would suit diverse, potential users. Such a park would become a place of inspiration rather than a place of danger.
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Environmental design, park, sensory impairment, cognitive impairment, inspiration, critical users, accessibility
