Universally Designed Urban Environments: “A Mindless Abuse of the Ideal of Equality” or a Matter of Social Justice?

Abstract

In “Justice and Nature,” Thomas Nagel rejects the idea that social equality requires the universal design of urban environments to accommodate people with disabilities. Universal design is a movement in architecture and other arenas to minimize the need to provide individual accommodations for people with disabilities by designing environments that are accessible to a wide range of individuals. I advance that Nagel inappropriately categorizes universal design as a matter of humanitarianism or charity. I argue that for people with disabilities to receive equal access to a city, universal design must be a central consideration in urban policy and construction. I also suggest that assistive technologies, devices that intentionally or unintentionally help people with disabilities access the same opportunities that the able-bodied have, is critical to the realization of universal design. These technologies are critical to facilitating responsible design, and relational autonomy for people with disabilities.