Accessibility
Completing Sidewalk Networks: Benefits and Costs
Many communities have incomplete or inadequate sidewalk networks that fail to accommodate all users. A new study indicates that completing sidewalk networks is one of the most basic and cost effective transportation improvements.
Chicago Approves Sidewalk Clearing Pilot
The new program will develop plans for keeping sidewalks clear of snow and ice to improve accessibility.
How to Make Documents More Accessible With Color Contrast
There are many ways planners can be more accessible in their work. This article will briefly touch on color contrast as one of the ways to improve accessibility in planning documents.
How Urban Design Fails Families
For parents of small children, amenities like public restrooms or shady parks can vastly improve—or deteriorate—the experience of navigating cities.
New York Subway Begins Accessibility Improvements
The MTA is putting its effort to improve the system’s century-old stations to make them more universally accessible in high gear, adding elevators, boarding upgrades, and mechanical improvements.
The Limitations of ‘Reconnecting Communities’
The Biden administration has pledged to correct the damage imposed on communities by highways and infrastructure, but many projects are only committing to minor improvements, not transformative changes.
Court Rules Against Nashville Sidewalk Ordinance
The city can no longer require developers to pay for or build sidewalks.
A Child’s Eye View of the City
A new VR tool invites urban planners to viscerally understand how a small child experiences the urban realm—with less-than-ideal results.
Denver Residents Lack Transit Access to Local Parks
Despite an early plan to run rail lines to the city’s mountain parks, they are not easily accessible to Denverites without cars.
New York Must Make Almost All Subway Stations Accessible by 2055, Judge Rules
Another recent ruling is forcing the agency to accelerate its efforts to make all New York subway stations accessible to people with disabilities and mobility issues.
Chicago Found Liable for ADA Violations
A federal judge ruled that the city fails to provide “meaningful access” to many of its streets due to a lack of infrastructure for pedestrians with vision impairments at most of the city’s intersections.
Improving Gender Equality with Urban Planning
“It's a man's world” is not just a saying. As much as we are surrounded by societal structures that contribute to gender discrimination, we are often also surrounded by physical infrastructure that is just as limiting.
Chicago Could Start Plowing Sidewalks Next Winter
Keeping sidewalks free of snow has historically been the task of adjacent property owners, forcing pedestrians and people with mobility challenges to navigate a patchwork of conditions. A new ordinance would place the responsibility on the city.
Michigan Cities to Improve Accessibility at Rail Stations
Four cities settled lawsuits citing a lack of ADA compliance at their intercity rail stations.
Leveraging Federal Funding for Transit Accessibility
Just 8 percent of U.S. households live near “high-quality transit.” How can federal infrastructure spending help fill this gap?
Transportation Predictions for 2023
Seventeen transportation experts and professionals weigh in on what they think trends in the sector will look like in 2023.
Chicago Awarded Federal Funding for Accessible Train Stations
The city received a federal grant geared toward improving accessibility at CTA and Metra stations, close to a third of which lack ADA compliance.
New York MTA Releases Plan for Improved Accessibility
The MTA announced plans for new or improved elevators at almost two dozen stations as part of its pledge to make more of its stations fully accessible.
Grand Rapids Tests First Rural Autonomous Shuttle
The town launched a five-vehicle fleet aimed at improving mobility for residents in the rural community.
Why Accessible Sidewalks Fall by the Wayside
Despite the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act more than 30 years ago, most U.S. cities delay making accessibility improvements to sidewalks until activists bring them to court.
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
