University of Leeds UK Inclusive Public Spaces Project - Burton Blatt Institute

Project Sponsor: European Research Council

Project Summary

The Inclusive Public Space project is a global interdisciplinary research effort that explores the social justice problems caused by city streets that limit access for some pedestrians and the ways law and governments respond to them. The project focuses specifically on pedestrians with disabilities who may have difficulties using the pedestrian paths because of the way streets are designed, managed, or maintained. Poor maintenance, uneven surfaces, potholes, poor lighting, and other streetscape structures also create barriers.

Goals and Objectives

To understand, via interviews, how exclusion affects the lives of people with disabilities;
to understand how law influences the inclusiveness of public spaces; and
to raise awareness of the impact of exclusionary spaces.