TAKING UNIVERSAL DESIGN AROUND THE BLOCK

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TAKING UNIVERSAL DESIGN AROUND THE BLOCK

• A study on aging Baby Boomers and on the
  integration of Universal Design at the
  neighborhood scale to address their future
  residential (im)mobility)

• Maurizio Antoninetti
• Doctoral Candidate
• San Diego State University/ UC Santa Barbara

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• Why Universal Design at the urban scale?
• What would the contribution of Universal Design
  at the neighborhood scale be?

Picture Traffic Safety Center - Surface
Transportation Policy Project 2002, cover
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Population 50 to 64
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Population 50 to 64 as a percent of the total
population
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Population 50 and older as a percent of the total
population
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• Our present cities lack of fundamental basic
  human factors
• They are not affordable
• They are rigid
• They lack integration
• They are confusing
• They are mostly ill planned and lack livability.

• Robert Solow, Nobel Prize-winning economist at
  MIT, puts it this way "Livability is not some
  middle-class luxury. It is an economic
  imperative."

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Can we ameliorate the urban environmentby
transforming it into a universally designed place?
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Why UD at the urban scale?

• To function universally, UD must be implemented
  at different scales
• The urban scale is the big container of all
  disparities and equalities of our daily life
• The city must be ergonomically and universally
  designed to work for, and not against,
  everybodys human basic needs
• Urban planning and city management have yet to
  address such issues while urban environments are
  rapidly declining toward confusion, disorder, and
  inequality.

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Why is ADAAG not enough?

• Lack of an holistic approach

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• With the implementation of UD
• Mix of uses facilitates short range activities
• Integration with public transit provides
  sustainable alternatives to driving
• Different housing typologies within the same
  neighborhood allows wider ranges in pricing
• The overwhelming desire to age in place becomes
  reality

Source http//www.wholeworldwindow.com/0305portla
nd/medium/079720trams20of20old20portland.jpg
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• Flexibility in Use
• Possibility to move to a better tailored
  residence without living the neighborhood, its
  services, its people
• Possibility to start and patronize local
  businesses

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• Simple and Intuitive Use
• Focal points or landmarks
• Human scale
• Overall accessibility
• Sense of place

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A more integrated consumption of space
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Homogeneity and confusion vs. View finding
through landmarks
Spaces are for mobility, places instead are for
pause
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• Low Physical Effort
• Basic needs are close by and handy
• Pedestrian and bicycle paths allow healthier
  lifestyles
• Urban design promotes social interactions
• Personal independence is maintained or supported
  at feasible costs

Source www.ci.boulder.co.us/duhmd/
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Population 17 to 49 as a percent of the total
population
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Population 17 to 49 as 40 of the total population
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Population 17 to 49 less than 50 and 50 to 64
more than 30
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• Tolerance for Error
• Unexpected personal changes are less destructive
• Lack of physical and mental aptness is tolerated

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NIPA Personal Saving Rate
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NIPA Personal Saving Rate
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Difference in the value of median sales prices
for the period First Quarter 2004 - First Quarter
2005 for selected MSAs (National Association of
Realtors 2005)
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Difference in percentage of the median sales
prices for the period First Quarter 2004 - First
Quarter 2005 for selected MSAs (National
Association of Realtors 2005)
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Action Plan

• The federal government
• New tax policies
• New transportation policies

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Action Plan

• Planning and land-use laws, policies and
  practices
• Flexible zoning regulations
• Provisions in local land-use policies

• The Fuse-Grid Approach by Canada Mortgage and
  Housing Corporation (CMHC)

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Action Plan

• Businesses and government agencies
• Community groups and private citizens
• Goal Communities should be shaped by choice, not
  by chance

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Action Plan

• We need UD on our old streets
• The entire community must understand the benefits
  of UD.
• We need visionary thinkers and designers

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THANK YOU!
Maurizio Antoninetti mantonin_at_mail.sdsu.edu