Is the city planned and built for me?: Citizens’ experiences of inclusion, exclusion and (un)equal living conditions in the built environment

• Müller, Lilian ^[1] ; Erdtman, Emil ^[1] ; Hedvall, Per-Olof ^[1]
  1. [1] Lund University

     Lund University

     Suecia

     
• Localización: Journal of accessibility and design for all: JACCES, ISSN-e 2013-7087, Vol. 14, Nº. 1, 2024, págs. 32-51
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This paper is based on a study where four go-along interviews with a total of sixteen participants were conducted in three Swedish cities. The purpose of this study was to find out how different aspects and qualities of the built environment affected different persons in terms of experiences of inclusion and exclusion and strategies used to deal with obstacles in the environment. The study highlights the citizens' experiences and perceptions of the urban built environment, based on their individual conditions for using it, in relation to the planners' and decision-makers' visions, planning practices and construction. The participants were asked about their views on the necessary conditions for them to visit the city and its places and buildings, what barriers they might experience that either made them change routes or avoid the area completely and what kind of environments they experienced as welcoming and inclusive. The study shows that there is an ongoing multifaceted exclusion of citizens from the built environment. This situation is not in accordance with current building regulations, neither with overall societal goals and ambitions, nor with the international conventions Sweden has undertaken to follow. The study also points to opportunities to change the situation, with the help of knowledge about enablers in the built environment and how Universal Design can become an important planning variable to bring about change.