Inclusion by designEquality, diversity andthe built environment

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Published in 2008 by theCommission for Architecture and the Built Environment.

CABE is the governments advisor on architecture, urban design andpublic space. As a public body, we encourage policymakers to create places that work for people.We help local planners apply nationaldesign policy and advise developersand architects, persuading them to put peoples needs first. We show public sector clients how tocommission projects that meet theneeds of their users. And we seek to inspire the public to demand morefrom their buildings and spaces.Advising, influencing and inspiring,we work to create well-designed,welcoming places.

Cover photo: Barking Town Centre, Tim Soar

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Inclusion by design

The quality of buildings and spaces has astrong influence on the quality of peopleslives . Decisions about the design, planningand management of places can enhance or restrict a sense of belonging. They canincrease or reduce feelings of security ,stretch or limit boundaries, promote orreduce mobility, and improve or damagehealth. They can remove real and imaginedbarriers between communities and fosterunderstanding and generosity of spirit.

Even though accessibility has improvedover the last decade, and planning policyhas shifted, with investment providing newfacilities to once-excluded communities, thefact remains that poor and disadvantagedpeople are far more likely to live in poorquality environments. Social , cultural andeconomic inequalities are still being literallybuilt into new places , and planners anddesigners need to examine more closely theimpact of their decisions.

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People experience the builtenvironment differently according towho they are their social, culturaland economic background. The fulldiversity of this experience needs tobe considered if all users are to becomfortable and feel that a particularspace or place belongs to them.

In this briefing, we feature commentsfrom four different perspectives the Womens Design Service,GALOP, the Stephen LawrenceCharitable Trust and from a mentalhealth consultant that vividlyillustrate what this means.

So long as women earn onaverage half of what men do, formthe majority of carers for elderlyrelations and still do most of thehousework and shopping, there isa whole range of issues related toplanning, transport, urban design,and housing provision which willimpact differently on the sexes. So long as women continue to be victims of sexual harassment,domestic violence and rape theywill have a radically differentexperience of what constitutessafety in homes, towns and publicspaces. Women live longer thanmen, which has consequences forpoverty in older age, disability andfrailty, loneliness and isolation.This, in turn, has implications forthe design of lifetime homes andneighbourhoods.

Wendy DavisWomens Design Servicewww.wds.org

From access to inclusion

For me or not for me?Why people experiencethe same place differently

The built environment can contribute to a more equal, inclusiveand cohesive society if the placeswhere we live, the facilities we use and our neighbourhoods andmeeting places are designed to be accessible and inclusive.

In this briefing we look at a broadmeaning of inclusion not justaccess starting with what aninhospitable built environment looks and feels like, and theunintended social, cultural andeconomic inequalities that follow.

Being able to live well in my home environment is essential to my mental and physical well-being. Yet those of us most at risk of a breakdown in our mental health and well-being are much more likely to live insqualid housing amid constantnoise, and in an environmentwhere we are subjected toharassment and abuse. Quiet,books, natural beauty, green, open space these are allessential for me. Its not just about the environments we buildbut also about how we inhabitthem with kindness, goodmanners and a real respect foreach other.

Debby Klein Mental health service user and consultant

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Vauxhall Cross bus interchange

Raf M

akda/VIE

W

Vauxhall Cross interchange:a central bus station withpedestrian movement broughtinto a single, simplified area at one of Londons busiestjunctions. Wide footpaths andsurface finishes help visuallyimpaired people and wheelchairusers. Better lighting and CCTV have improved security

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Getting around

Getting around is about much more thanaccessible buses and trains. It is as important tohave well-designed and well-managed streets thatdont act as a barrier to movement.

Inclusive design means designing for transportthat is dignified, accessible, affordable, safe andeasy to use. It means:

a chill-proof sheltera shelter with secure seatinga shelter with a talking countdown systema shelter with an emergency phonea safe and comfortable place to waita bus with a rampa bus that is safe from crime at nighta neighbourhood that works for people regardless of their age.

Inclusive transport design creates an way for everyone to get around.

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2 The management and use of a place

1 The location anddesign of a place

The location and design of placeshave a profound effect on howpeople benefit from them. The issueshere are about about technical,geographical and physical access,and usability.

The location and design of a place,its facilities, and equipment insidemay fail to take into account minoritycultural or religious requirementssuch as space for prayer andwashing facilities or numbers ofrooms. The impact of bad design is more likely to be felt by disabledpeople and older people, people from minority cultures and faiths,carers with young children, andtherefore has a disproportionateeffect on women. There is aconsiderable amount of research and good practice advice aboutdesigning environments that are inclusive.1

Location often results frominvestment decisions made at a local, regional or even national scale.The decentralisation of healthcareservices, for instance, is verywelcome but the quality of publictransport links to the new helathcentres can still have an impact on how easy they are to use forpeople without a car.

The physical and technical access to a place and its usability do remainvital design issues. Despite advancesin anti-discrimination legislation,policy and best practice guidance,many buildings are, beyond theirentrances, still difficult for disabledpeople to use with dignity and ease.

The management and use of placeshave a significant effect on whetherwe find them friendly and welcoming,and whether they generate a senseof belonging.

This idea is more subjective and less well researched, but not withoutplenty of anecdotal evidence.

The ambiance of a place a combination of its design,management, and use is more likely to have an impact on groupsthat experience exclusion in otherwalks of life, such as lesbians andgay men, women, disabled people,people from minority religions andcultures and from deprived socialbackgrounds. It may be about thedesign of the space, about theattitude of staff, the furnishings,facilities, the type of events held in the place the programming or quite simply: are there otherpeople like me here?

This is where involvement of groupsnot usually included in the designand planning process can really make a difference.

1 For instance, see recent work by Dr Gemma Burgess (2008) Planning,Regeneration and theGender Equality Duty why does gender matter? It illustrates how tripchains, the multiplejourneys such as thosebetween work, childcare and the shops affect womendisproportionately and arenot catered for by traditionalplanning policy. Advice on inclusive design includesCABEs The principles ofinclusive design (availablefrom www.cabe.org.uk).

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The links betweeneconomic inequality andthe built environment

It is well documented that thepoorest people in the UK tend to live in the least healthyenvironments, with the greatestlikelihood of environmental hazardssuch as flooding and pollution. They are, consequently, less safe and less healthy.2

In the UK, there are still 13 millionpeople living in poverty.3 The poor are more likely to be in households led by women, in black and minorityethnic communities, and to bedisabled or elderly people. In the three months to June 2008, 1.8 million children one in sevenchildren were living in householdswhere no-one works.4

These economic and socialinequalities are the backdrop to peoples experience of their daily lives, their homes andneighbourhoods.

The reality of exclusion isinaccessible facilities, hostile urbanwastelands or rural isolation,threatening and poorly managedparks, dilapidated estates andhousing that is cramped, badlyinsulated, unhealthy and depressing.5

People living in disadvantaged areasare more likely to suffer the impactsfrom high traffic volume, with itsassociated noise, disturbance and poor air quality, and a greaterlikelihood of being killed or injured on the road.

Deprived neighbourhoods have fewer local amenities and the publicand open space they do have is more likely to be poorly managed and maintained.6 ,7 In turn, neglectedpublic spaces contribute to the onset of vandalism, anti-socialbehaviour, graffiti and littering.8

These are issues of both economicand environmental inequality. People

living in poverty are always morelikely to get a disproportionate shareof environmental hazards and so have more to gain from interventionsto promote environmental equity.

Adapting to a changing climate willbe particularly challenging to olderpeople and those who live in poorquality housing who are less able to make their homes resilient toextreme weather events and are more vulnerable to the impacts offlooding9, 10 and heatwaves.11

Much of the focus of governmentinvestment in regeneration over thepast decade the NeighbourhoodRenewal Fund and New Deal for Communities in particular focused on these deprivedneighbourhoods, in an effort toreduce economic inequality overall.Investment programmes continue to address inequality.

The ongoing challenge is to findways in which the design andmanagement of the built environmentalleviates and does not exacerbateincome inequality. The nationalprogramme of Sure Start centres,with their quality family-basedservices, and the Building Schoolsfor the Future programme, bothstarted in deprived areas. These aregood examples of favouring areasmost in need, and CABE encourages local authorities to use their planningpowers in this way as well.

2 Environmental problems and service provision in deprived and more affluentneighbourhoods, JosephRowntree Foundation(2005), establishes the link between poverty and a poor environment

3 Data from 2006. Monitoringpoverty and social exclusion,Joseph RowntreeFoundation, (2007)

4 Work and Worklessnessamong Households - aLabour Force Survey Officeof National Statistics (2008)

5 Home Sweet Home? Marsh,Gordon, Panatazis andHeslop (1999)

6 Environmental problems and service provision indeprived and more affluentneighbourhoods, JosephRowntree Foundation report (2005)

7 Cleaning up neighbourhoods:Environmental problems and service provision indeprived areas Hastings, A et al (2005)

8 Decent Parks? Decent Behaviour? The link between the quality of parks and user behaviourCABE Space (2005)

9 According to the Environment Agency, themost deprived people are62 per cent more likely to be living in areas at highrisk of tidal flooding and willsuffer the greatest lossesand health effects. BetterPlaces Resource Pack,Environment Agency (2008)

10 The Pitt Review: Lessons learned from the 2007floods, Cabinet Office (2008)

11 Heatwave plan for England, Department of Health (2008)

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Barking Learning C

entre A

nthony Weller/V

IEW

Barking Learning Centre: alibrary, caf and art gallery lie atthe heart of this town-centredevelopment. The libraryfeatures informal reading areas,circular shelving and brightlycoloured rubber furniture. Thisaccessible and inviting approachto a library is clearly working:the number of users has risenby around 50 per cent

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A place for learning

Centres for learning are important particularly for people who need a space in which to study in comfort. Inclusive design means a library that is accessible, helpful, stimulating and reflects the diversity of its community. It means:

a building to be proud ofa library where you cant hear a pin dropa library where you can linger and be warma library where people far from home can connect up to their familiesa library where students are welcome even on Sunday morning when many need to study affordable facilitiesaccessible shelvesa diverse staff team that reflects the make-up of the community.

Well-designed libraries encourage enjoyment in life-long learning for people of all ages and backgrounds.

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Building communitiesthat work

Sustainable and socially cohesivecommunities are built on the bonds that unite rather than thedifferences that separate.

The factors that make communitiescohesive are complex. They include a mixture of social, cultural andeconomic relationships betweencommunities of faith, class and race, between affluence and povertyand between generations. Gooddesign and place management cancontribute to a more widespreadsense of belonging and can fostergood relations between, and within,communities. Our sense of being atease and belonging are strengthenedby positive contact with neighboursand by being involved together in decisions about the spaces andplaces we share.

Cohesion can be particularly fragilewithin and across economicallydeprived communities whereresources are scarce and wheremyths and stereotypes are promotedabout in-comers and which fuel asense of mistrust.12

Cohesion can easily break down if those deprived communities thatare divided by prejudices and by a sense that the undeserving aregetting more than their fair share, or where it is felt that the providers of services are not concerned withfairness and equality. This can beparticularly relevant in areas ofregeneration or renewal.

The careful planning, design andmanagement of living spaces and the public realm can encouragesuccessfully integrated and cohesive communities or lead to disintegration.

For instance:

an upmarket shopping mall on the prosperous side of town can draw

the economic life out of a localhigh street that includes cheapershops, resulting in segregation ofthe places where the affluent shopand those where the poor shop

a regeneration scheme that drawsits investment boundaries alongthe same lines that divide oneethnic community from anothercould encourage a sense of themand us.

Many of these decisions are in thehands of local authorities, developers,and regeneration teams, and theconsultants who work with them,using the masterplanning processesto guide and shape change.

This is why CABE will work to increase awareness of theimplications that these decisions can have on communities.

Lesbian, gay, bi-sexual andtransgender people are adroit atdecoding public spaces. Wemodify our behaviour to avoidharassment and violence, beingvigilant about public spaces andtransport, avoiding buses andstreets at school going hometimes, toning down signs of publicaffection, talking and dressingdifferently. Without this behaviourit is almost certain the rate ofhomophobic attacks would bemuch higher. But where areas feelmore welcoming, we are able toexpress ourselves comfortably. Sohow the environment is managedmakes all the difference signs ofinclusion such as the rainbow flag,posters, or adverts for services.The design and management ofpublic spaces and facilitiesprovides practical solutions, andconsultation would be a goodstarting point.

Deborah Goldchief executive, GALOP

12 Anne Power and John Houghton Jigsaw Cities: Bigplaces, small spaces (2007)

Problem to solution:inclusive design

Inclusive design is a process ofdesigning, building, managing andpopulating places and spaces13 thatensures that they work for as manypeople as possible, not just somegroups. It encompasses wherepeople live and the public buildingsthey use, such as health centres,education facilities and libraries; and how they get around neighbourhoods, streets, parks and green spaces and transport.

Inclusive design is about:

access with dignity getting to, and into places, and using them. It is about physical access toplaces and services, includingaccess to appropriate technology

treatment with respect how people are dealt with, talked toand looked after; whether theirneeds are considered and whetherthey are respected and welcomed

relevant services do places meet peoples particular needs?Are they designed with users inmind? Do they give people asense that they have a right to be there?

Good examples include a healthcentre that can cater for the specificneeds of patients seeking asylumafter torture; a school with learningspaces suitable for children withhearing impairment, and a park withfacilities for the frail elderly.

Inclusive environments will:

be responsive to peoples needs

be flexible in use

offer choice when a single design solution cannot meet all users needs

be convenient so they can be used without undue effort or special separation

be welcoming to a wide varietyof people, making them feel they belong

accommodate without fuss or exception those who have specificrequirements.14

Inclusive design takes into account people with specific mobility, dexterity, sensory, andcommunication impairments; learning disabilities; continenceneeds; and people whose mentalwell-being should be supported by a thoughtfully crafted andmanaged environment.

Consultation is key to inclusivedesign. Right from the outset of anyproject, particular attention should bepaid to those likely to be overlookedor whose views are less likely to beaccommodated. This includes womenand transgender people, elderly and younger people and children,religious minorities, poorer andsocially excluded communities,lesbians and gay men, black andminority ethnic people. This does not happen enough; for instance,people who are victims of racist and homophobic hate crime areunlikely to be consulted about thedesign of public spaces.

13 Inclusive Design Strategy, Olympic Delivery Authority(2008)

14 The principles of inclusive design.(Theyinclude you.), CABE (2006) Available fromwww.cabe.org.uk/publications

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The Hub, R

egent's Park

Michele Turriani

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Good space design createsan inclusive space to relaxand play a place designedwith everyone in mind

The Hub, Regents Park: a place to meet, watch and play sport. Built for the Royal Parks, the Hub includes changing facilities for people with disabilities. Itsdevelopment involved the LondonSports Forum for Disabled People,which promotes an inclusive andactive initiative with Sport Englandand the Greater London Authority

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The Hub, R

egent's Park

Fisher Hart/V

IEW

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A space to enjoy

Well-maintained parks and green spaces help usto unwind and relax and are good for our health,well-being and for sociability across communities.Inclusive design means an open space that is safe, accessible, practical and a pleasure to use. It means:

a park with vigilant and sensitive staffa park with clean and safe facilitiesa place with good lighting and clear signsa place with children and adults in minda park with smooth flat paths for getting aroundand humps and bumps to play and lounge ona park where people can exercise and be healthya warm place to linger and talka place that encourages mixing between different groups.

Good space design creates an inclusive space to relax and play; a place designed with everyonein mind.

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Housing, streets, neighbourhoods,public spaces and local amenitiescan be designed and managed toaccommodate the different ways inwhich people experience the builtenvironment. Examples of inclusion in design include:

homes that are designed with wide hallways can accommodatebaby buggies, teenagers bikes,crutches, hikers equipment,childrens toys and a Zimmerframe, ensuring they are practicalfor all stages of life

housing that is designed so that windows overlook well-connectedstreets helps to create publicspaces where vulnerable peoplefeel safer

estates that have safe placesfor young people to hang out,designed with their participation,can help reduce intergenerationalconflict

neighbourhoods that are designedto be distinctive and easy tonavigate help people withdementia find their way around

uncluttered and clearly signpostedpavements will benefit people withsight or mobility impairments

parks and tracks that have pruned-back bushes and clear sight-lineswill feel safer for women andteenagers

hospitals with good transport links and cheap parking willbenefit less well-off families

schools that design out isolated corners and remote toilet blocksminimise opportunities for bullying

town squares that have shady, secure seating will benefit older people

a well-lit and clearly signed bus/train interchange with warmwaiting rooms and clean toiletswill benefit older people.

The desire to balance demands for diversity with public values ofsocial integration and communitycohesion is a challenge for thebuilt environment professions. Theaesthetics of place need to breakfree from historic preconceptionsthat assume universal principlesand homogeneous societies. The way in which race and space manifests itself in the builtenvironment has to be understoodthrough the subtle, sensual andinconspicuous experiences ofblack and minority ethnic people in all their diversity, as well as their reading of public and greenspaces, travel and safety and work and leisure.

Karin WoodleyChief executive Stephen Lawrence CharitableTrustwww.stephenlawrence.org

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The benefits of inclusive design

There is a strong link between thedesign and management of thebuildings, spaces and places and the development of a more equal and inclusive society. Places that are inclusive should:

be welcoming and for everyone

be accessible and easy to use, with dignity and without undueeffort or anxiety

enhance our mental and physical health and well-being

reflect the diversity of todays society while building on thehistory of local areas

encourage mutual and harmoniousrelations between social groupsand ensure that economicresources are evenly and fairly shared.

These principles are embedded in arange of national standards and bestpractice guidance including Buildingfor Life,15 Code for SustainableHomes,16 Lifetime Homes standards,17

Manual for Streets,18 The principles of inclusive design,19 Planning policystatements 1, 3, 6 and 12 andplanning policy guidance note 17.20

Exclusive design

Places and spaces are sometimesdeliberately designed and managed to exclude people, and the implications of this need careful thought.

Benches that people cannot lie down on design out streethomeless people; bubbled slopesprevent skateboarders.21 Deliberateexclusion is also about straightexclusivity: gated communities or privatised river frontages cancreate a sense of them and us, leaving people feeling quite literally excluded.

Places in the centres of towns and cities which appear to be public realm but are in fact privatelymanaged may seek to excludecertain groups, often young people,to address fears about anti-socialbehaviour. A company developing a shopping centre could argue that some people would put off the consumers who buy the goods that ultimately pay for the shoppingcentre. This may be a decision madein the perceived interests of thewider community, but once again itcan create a sense of them and us.

Assertive teenagers, street drinkers, the very poor, shabby or disorientated do have the right to use public spaces within the bounds of socially acceptablebehaviour.

These can be very difficult issues,not least because the behaviour ofvulnerable groups can impact moststrongly on other vulnerable groups.But it is not justifiable to createenvironments that exclude certaingroups because of a generalisedand perceived threat to others.

15 Further details at www.buildingforlife.org

16 Communities and Local Government (2008) TheCode for SustainableHomes: Setting the standardin sustainability for new homes

17 Lifetime Homes Standardshave been developed by the Joseph RowntreeFoundation and areincreasingly being adopted.For more details seewww.jrf.org.uk/housingandcare/lifetimehomes

18 Department for Transport Manual for Streets (2007)

19 The principles of inclusive design. (They include you.),CABE (2006)

20 Planning policy statements are available from the CLG website,www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding

21 What kind of world are we building? The privatisation of public space, RoyalInstitution of CharteredSurveyors (2006)

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Royal Festival H

all D

ennis Gilbert

Royal Festival Hall, London: the restoration of the Grade I-listed public building hascreated an open and accessiblefoyer space, excellent acousticstandards in the mainauditorium and a new glassscenic lift offering access to all parts of the building.Programming takes culturallearning into the community

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A centre for culture

Inclusive design means a cultural space that isaccessible, inviting and exciting to use. It means:

a place that is affordablea place that isnt stuffya place that you can use with dignity and free from anxietya place where you arent talked down toa place where you can linger if you want toa place you can get home from safelya programme that stimulates your interest management that knows that comfort is importantmanagement that uses up-to-date technology to maximise participation.

Good cultural design creates an inclusive place of enjoyment a true peoples palace and a place with a sense of belonging.

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The built environment is created and managed by a wide range ofprofessions, including architects,planners, landscape architects,engineers, quantity surveyors, and park managers. Professions that mirror the diversity of thesociety they serve have a muchgreater chance of creating a builtenvironment that suits that society.

CABE has published three pieces of research into the composition of the relevant professions. Two of them, published in 2005, wereprimarily concerned with building.These studies, Minority ethnicrepresentation in the builtenvironment professions andArchitecture and race: a study of minority ethnic students in the profession,22 confirmed that the precise information aboutrepresentation in the builtenvironment professions wasunknown, largely becauseinstitutions had failed to monitortheir members or employees.However, we do know from thestudies that only 2 per cent ofregistered architects are black and minority ethnic compared to

8 per cent of the population beingfrom a minority ethnic group.23

Sunand Prasad, the president of the RIBA, notes that theconstruction industry professions are disproportionately white men.CABEs research established thatblack architecture students are less likely than white students tocomplete their progress througharchitectural education and have one quarter of the odds of getting a first class degree as compared to a white student.

In 2004, CABE Spaces researchinto local authority park workforces,Parks need people, also noted aworkforce that does not representthe society it serves. Staffcomposition is unrepresentative ofthe community of park users and the working population as a whole,comprising predominantly white men aged over 40, it said. There is virtually no ethnic diversity and the proportion of women working in the sector is only around 10 per cent. The workforce is an ageing one, with 68 per cent over 40 and 92 per cent over 30 years old.

Diversity in the built environment professions

22 Both available from www.cabe.org.uk/publications

23 Office of National Statistics, tinyurl.com/4635u

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Priorities for action Five high priorities for CABE

There are both ethical and pragmaticarguments for acting on equality andinclusion in the built environment. Amore equal, inclusive and sustainableenvironment contributes to a fairer,more democratic and tolerant society.

A more inclusive built environmenttaps into neglected talent, useshuman resources more intelligentlyand is therefore more economicallyresilient and socially vibrant.

Getting it right on the builtenvironment promotes our health,well-being and sense of inclusion.Action on these issues is about the economic, social and culturalwellbeing of our society, in which we all have a role to play.

Users take centre stage at CABE

CABE has set up a new inclusion by design group to advise on allaspects of inclusive design andequality. The 20 members bring to the discussion both professionalexpertise and specific userperspectives. The new group will help CABE turn principles into practice.

1 Work with other professional institutions to increase the diversityof those joining and rising in the built environment professions identifying practical strategies for change within the professions,supporting imaginative positiveaction programmes, setting targets,and rewarding successful diversityinitiatives.

2 Use our influence with the built environment professions to promoteinclusive and equitable design,through our design review panels,enabling schemes, awards and the promotion of best practice.Ensure that inclusive design remains a corporate priority.

3 Promote with increased rigour the principles and practice of inclusivedesign, and the involvement ofaccess specialists and disabledpeople in the development of allmajor schemes that come to CABE.

4 Research further the connections between sustainability and equality,and promote an integrated agendaof environmental equity throughgood practice.

5 Lead by example on equality and inclusion, building a diverseworkforce and CABE family the commissioners, enablers, design review panellists and otherprofessionals who advise us. Ensurethat 100 per cent of CABEs familyunderstand their role in promotingthis agenda, with every CABEactivity and publication containingappropriate coverage of equality and inclusive design.

The CABE equality scheme containsour detailed action plan on equalityand inclusion.

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Adelaide W

harf, Hackney

Olli H

ellmann

Adelaide Wharf, Hackney: high-density, high-qualityaffordable homes, includingapartments for key workers. The scheme aims to be socially diverse and tenure blind, providing 73 private flats and 33 for affordable rent

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A place to live

Inclusive design means a place to live that isadaptable, practical, secure and somewhere youwant to settle. It means:

a place that is affordablea place that has enough rooma place that is easy to adapta place where wheelchairs and pushchairs have been thought abouta place that is designed for day-to-day usea place built to last and not to waste resourcesa place that generates a sense of communitya place where privacy is balanced with community vigilancea place with facilities close to hand.

Good housing design creates places thateveryone could call home.

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Five high prioritiesfor local authorities

Five high priorities for the professions

1 Collect data on the composition of the professions, and use thisevidence to broaden the diversityof representation.

2 Work collaboratively across professional teams to maximiseexpertise and understanding ofinclusion and equality.

3 Take care to consult and involve the people most likely to beaffected by any changes.

4 Do more than you need to. Work with clients to exceed theregulatory and good practiceguidance on inclusive design, and comply with guidance on the provision of lifetime andwheelchair accessible homes.Exceed the public duties on race,gender and disability equality.

5 Use access specialists throughouta project from concept to post-occupancy stages.

1 Do more than you need to. Continue to act on the legalresponsibility under the publicduties on race, gender anddisability to promote equality,involvement and consultation and exceed it where you can.

2 Creating successful places means consulting people, so always involve local people in discussions about futuredevelopments. Build a trackrecord of involvement and listening. Use imaginative methods of involvement.

3 Communicate proposals effectively, using accessible, plainlanguage. Offer training in designand planning for access groupsand people from communities and encourage people to act as ambassadors for theircommunities in design processes.

4 Set up an access group for major schemes and get an accessconsultant on board.

5 Ensure that local investment and planning promoteenvironmental equality and cohesive, sustainablecommunities.

What do you think ofthis briefing? Let usknow by emailingequalities@cabe.org.uk

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Places for all

The national training centre for the spinal injuriescharity Aspire is the first fitness and training centrein Europe designed for both disabled and non-disabled people. The centre is open toeveryone. About a third of the members aredisabled and the centre offers them subsidisedmembership. Its features include:

a 25-metre swimming pool with ramped accessfor wheelchair users. Its water temperature of 32 makes it suitable for people of all agesa gymnasium with fitness equipment designed for workouts by both non-disabled and disabledusers (seats swing aside to allow wheelchairsto move in when needed)a sports hall for badminton, five-a-side football,wheelchair rugby and basketballa dance studio that is both the national home to the internationally acclaimed integrateddance company Candoco, featuring disabledand non-disabled dancers, and a space wherearts activities can happen.

Aspires ethos is about making few distinctionsbetween disabled and non-disabled people andthe all-embracing philosophy is supported by thecentres inclusive design. Rather than male, femaleand disabled toilets it has unisex toilets that areaccessible to everyone. And fire exits from thecentre have ramps leading down from the firstfloor, avoiding the need for refuge spaces.

The buildings design, alongside the centresfacilities, equipment and trained staff, is endorsedby the charity-led national inclusive fitness initiative(see www.inclusivefitness.org.uk for moreinformation).

www.aspire.org.uk

Across the country there are outstandingexamples of where gooddesign has deliveredplaces that work for all people. Here wehighlight three projectsthat in their own way take forward inclusivedesign provision

Aspire, Stanmore: integratedtraining and fitness

N

igel Young/Foster and P

artners

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Many places have accessible toilets that aredesigned for disabled people. But very often they dont meet the needs of all disabled people.The UK has approximately 40,000 people withprofound and multiple learning difficulties whooften need more help changing or using the toilet than is possible in usual disabled facilities.

Changing Places, a national consortium ofcharities and public bodies, campaigns for toiletswith enough space for disabled people and theircarers to change with ease and with dignity. It hasprovided more than 50 special toilets across thecountry, including in the Londons Tate Modernand at Gatesheads Sage centre. Changing Placestoilets are different to standard disabled toilets.They provide:

Equipmenta height-adjustable changing bench a tracking hoist system, or mobile hoist if this is not possible.

Spaceadequate space in the changing area for the disabled person and up to two carers a centrally placed toilet with room either side for the carers a screen or curtain to allow the disabled person and carer some privacy.

Safe and clean environmentwide tear-off paper roll to cover the bench.

www.changing-places.org

The redevelopment of the public space at Spa Fields shows how involving the community in the design and construction of spaces can behugely beneficial. Spa Fields was created over200 years ago, but it had become dilapidated andresidents avoided it and felt unsafe there. Closeconsultation and engagement with the communityhas helped produce a friendly, inclusive space.

A path running through the eastern end of the park shows how consultation can improve design.Previously it ran through the centre of a smalldepression near to bushes. After a workshop withlocal women, run by the Womens Design Service,it was raised and placed on one side. As well asbetter visibility it felt safer and encouraged morepeople to walk along it. It is fully inclusive thisroute goes through the younger peoples play area,encouraging its use as a space for everybody.

The space was opened up to allow greater access and visibility. A new entrance passageencourages greater movement through the space. A stainless steel gate acts as a mirror, showingvisitors whether the gates are open and the park is busy before they walk up the alley. Privatespaces are cordoned off from many angles, but remain accessible and with clear sightlines.

Engagement with young people of the area hasmeant the park remains well used with very littlevandalism. During construction, 13 local youngpeople were given work experience on the site. Three went on to get permanent jobs with the construction company, aiding the sense oflocal ownership.

www.wds.org.uk

Changing Places: makingtowns and cities accessible

Spa Fields, Islington:community consultation and engagement

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Until recently, discussion aboutequality and the built environmentfocussed on physical access or the lack of it. As physical access has improved, the discussion haswidened to address cultural andeconomic access, recognising thatdesign plays a vital role in including,and often excluding, communities.Inclusion by design sets out CABEsposition on equality, diversity and the built environment. It offerseveryday examples from urban livingdemonstrating how good design can help create places that work foreveryone. Inclusion by design willinterest design professionals andpeople working in government, aswell as everyone working with CABE.

Barking Town Square: a major newpublic space for east London. Thescheme design, by mufarchitecture/art and Allford HallMonaghan Morris and shown here inits finishing stages with newchandeliers under wraps, followeddetailed discussion with accessconsultants. The Barking schemeinvolved diverse local groups in itsdetailed design, including students,African-Caribbean elders andapprentice bricklayers. It featurespublic art recreating an imaginary lostpast of Barking.

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