More than a billion people around the world have a disability, and more than half of them live in cities. That number is expected to triple to 3.5 billion by 2050, as people age and the rate of non-communicable diseases rises. While people with disabilities are one of the largest marginalized/ minority communities in the world, almost everyone will experience some form of disability in their lifetime. The way our cities are designed excludes many people with disabilities from public streets and spaces. These barriers of access limit their autonomy and thus their participation, inclusion, and belonging in society. This harms everyone’s ability to thrive in cities and build their social networks for well-being. It is not the disability itself that limits people, though, but the environments we have created.
The post Better Urban Mobility Starts with Universal Accessibility first appeared on Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.
