Towards Real-Life Inclusion: User-Centric Analysis of Access to Urban Areas

Abstract

As a well-established paradigm, inclusive design traditionally seeks to enhance the quality of the built environment, going beyond mere barrier-free design and accessibility. A special focus of this paper is on the complex cases of inclusive design, where the experiences of using the same or similar site elements vary significantly. The findings reveal that in three-quarters of the cases, user experiences with similar site elements differ. In nearly half of these instances, the differences in experiences oppose radically. The study underscores the importance for architects and planners to analyse meticulously the tolerance ranges of each user group.