ADA Compliance

Workers pouring concrete in wooden mold for new sidewalk

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.

August 6, 2023 - Todd Litman

Vividly colored orange and red autumn trees along sidewalk in Nashville, Tennessee

Court Rules Against Nashville Sidewalk Ordinance

The city can no longer require developers to pay for or build sidewalks.

May 15, 2023 - Courthouse News Service

Wheelchair ramp at outdoor train station

ADA Compliance Slowly Makes Headway

Decades of advocacy are paying off, but it often takes legal action to force cities to make accessibility improvements mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act over thirty years ago.

May 4, 2023 - Diana Ionescu

Accessible elevator sign with arrow on a New York City subway platform

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.

April 11, 2023 - The City

Red brick buildings at Kalamazoo central train station

Michigan Cities to Improve Accessibility at Rail Stations

Four cities settled lawsuits citing a lack of ADA compliance at their intercity rail stations.

February 10, 2023 - M Live

View from back of person in black clothes and hat waiting to board train at Chicago train station with blurry train in front of them.

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.

December 20, 2022 - Chicago Tribune

Close-up of wheelchair user on subway platform

MTA Sued Over Platform Gaps

Riders with disabilities say that vertical and horizontal gaps of as much as 7 inches between trains and platforms prevent many riders from safely entering and exiting trains.

October 31, 2022 - Curbed

Aerial view of downtown Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville Approves ADA Compliance Plan

The city plans to make improvements to pedestrian infrastructure and bring its public streets into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

October 28, 2022 - WLOS

Freshly painted white crosswalk leading to yellow curb cut to sidewalk

Following Lawsuit, Philadelphia to Add or Fix 10,000 Curb Cuts

Disability rights advocates won a settlement that directs the city to improve accessibility on its public roads over the next 15 years.

October 19, 2022 - WHYY

Chicago ADA Access

Centering Non-Drivers Would Improve Infrastructure for All

Inadequate infrastructure disproportionately harms people with mobility challenges who can't or don't drive, but their needs closely mirror those of all pedestrians.

September 1, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

Al Fresco Streets

'Open Streets' Have an Accessibility Problem

The rush to utilize sidewalk space for outdoor seating and parklets has created new obstacles for people with disabilities.

July 2, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Wheelchair ramp

What Is the Americans With Disabilities Act?

The effects of the landmark Americans With Disabilities Act are visible throughout the built environment—on sidewalks, on buses, and in almost every building and public facility in the country.

February 17, 2021 - plnz-admin

Wheelchair Curb Cut

Feds Close Cedar Rapids ADA Case

For four years, the city has worked to make public projects compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Rather than granting an extension, the Department of Justice says it is closing the case.

June 14, 2019 - The Gazette (Cedar Rapids)

Wheelchair Curb Cut

ADA Compliance Delayed in Cedar Rapids

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is part of Project Civic Access, a federal initiative to make public facilities accessible. Making the changes necessary for compliance has been challenging for the city.

November 28, 2018 - The Gazette (Cedar Rapids)

Noncompliant Bodies, Accommodating Space

The architects behind “Stalled!” see gender as one of many variables and identities to consider in designing inclusive environments.

April 7, 2018 - Urban Omnibus

Off the Beaten Path

Designing comfort stations to accommodate more than 60 million annual New York State Parks visitors — representing many different genders, backgrounds, and accessibility needs — is no simple task.

April 5, 2018 - Urban Omnibus

Market Street

$604 Million Makeover Coming to San Francisco's Market Street

The changes in store for the main corridor through San Francisco's central business district connect to a larger story about accessibility for people with disabilities.

August 12, 2017 - Next City

Hayward Fault

When ADA Compliance Runs Afoul of Seismology

Seismologists were recently upset by the loss of a curb at the corner of two streets in Hayward, California that displayed the power of the Hayward Fault. The city had repaired the curb to provide ADA access to the sidewalk and street.

July 10, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Wheelchair ramp

The Tough Legal Path to ADA Compliance

Next City examines the fruits of a Department of Justice effort to force cities to bring their sidewalks and other public spaces into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

June 14, 2016 - Next City

Wheelchair Curb Cut

25 Years of the Americans With Disabilities Act

Twenty-five years have passed since the United States approved a civil rights law with broad and positive affect on the build environment as we've come to know it.

August 10, 2015 - Curbed

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.