Making and Measuring Progress in Radically Inclusive Cities

Abstract

The cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi can serve as useful examples of the journey cities can undertake toward radical inclusion for persons with disabilities in the context of rapid urbanization. The actions of these cities over previous decades provide examples of practical approaches to building more inclusion and belonging by design. The management, governance, and strategies they undertook demonstrate how consistent and measurable progress toward inclusion, equity, and accessibility can be effectively designed and executed. Two frameworks, the DisCo Policy Framework and the Iceberg of Inequality Model, can be used to complement these city-based case studies. The DisCo Policy Framework is a tool for evaluating inclusive urban development and has five interrelated criteria for assessment. The Iceberg of Inequality Model shows the hierarchical structure of primary rights and capabilities. These tools can be used to benchmark progress toward radical inclusion and form part of a multidimensional and cross-sectional toolkit for key stakeholders to undo decades old errors and omissions in broad based planning, policy, and design. The UN Habitat III Conference also highlighted six key areas for advancing equity, access, and inclusion in cities as well as the need for political commitment to inclusive urbanization.

Once we have the universal goal it doesn’t mean therefore treat everybody the same. It’s not saying treat everyone the same because everybody’s not in the same situation. People need to be treated differently. This is different from equity, at least equity in the narrow sense. Because equity oftentimes normalizes what the dominant group has and says let’s close the disparity but it’s assuming that when we close the disparity we’re basically done. What if the dominant group doesn’t have what they need either? (john powell¹, Director, Institute on Othering and Belonging, University of California, Berkeley)

Dubai is a city of dreams and extremes, it’s a city of diverse peoples, of diverse neighborhoods, each with its own unique character and charm. As a Fulbright-Hays scholar I had the chance to get to know every part of this city. It was my job. In 2009, I was a visiting fellow at the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (at the time the Dubai School of Government). I assessed access barriers all over From the Palm Island to the bustling streets of Deira to the sandy beaches of Jumeirah, even at that time there was something for everyone in this metropolis, but not if you had a disability.

Since those early years Dubai has transformed into one of the world’s most accessible and inclusive cities. This was not an accident. Diversity and inclusion were prioritized and built by design. In 2014, My colleague Dr. Sandra Willis and I co-authored the Dubai Disability Strategy, marking a vital moment in shaping the future growth of the city to be more inclusive and accessible to all.

Now as I explore the various neighborhoods of Dubai, I am struck by the progress that has been made toward creating a radically inclusive city. From the accessible public transportation and buildings to the welcoming airport staff, and inclusive community spaces, there are many examples of how the city is working to create a place that truly belongs to all. I recognize that there is still work to be done. No city is perfect, and every city is a living and evolving human creation, shaped by the experiences and expectations of its inhabitants. The leadership there recognizes that inclusivity is not a binary, but a journey with different experiences and perspectives. It’s a place where stakeholders work together to create a city that has a dynamic and complex relationship to inclusion and belonging.

This chapter illustrates that ideals are not easy or straightforward to achieve. Ideals set a directive—and it is just that, an ideal. But how do make and measure progress, especially when cities are living and evolving human creations? They are in a constant process of becoming and this journey is shaped by the experiences and expectations of their inhabitants. This is a journey with different experiences and perspectives; different winners and losers co-existing and renegotiating their social, economic, cultural, and political needs and renegotiating the relative positioning of what they value.

Even Burning Man at Black Rock City, which names radical inclusion as the first of its ten core principles, is but an experiment of radical inclusion and exclusion. For many it is simply not financially accessible for many. That cities may never become wholly radically inclusive doesn’t mean we should abandon all efforts to realize radical inclusion. Rather, the process by which a city implements radically inclusive approaches is how we create sustainable, resilient, and yes, inclusive cities of tomorrow.

In this chapter, I provide some examples of how two cities in the United Arab Emirates have taken on the task of advancing radical inclusion for persons with disabilities. I next introduce two frameworks to complement the case studies we have explored to this point. The two frameworks are the DisCo Policy Framework and the Iceberg of Inequality Model, including discussion of the theories and precedents that informed their creation. These tools can be used to benchmark progress toward radical inclusion and form part of a multidimensional and cross-sectional toolkit for key stakeholders to undo decades old errors and omissions in broad based planning, policy, and design. Then, I discuss six key areas highlighted by the UN Habitat III Conference that advance equity, access, and inclusion in cities and the necessity of political commitment to inclusive urbanization. Finally, I consider what it means to be intentional through design and why radical inclusion differs entirely from efforts to simply “bolt on” accessibility.

As this section shows, efforts by the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi provide examples of practical approaches to building more inclusion and belonging by design. The management, governance, and strategies demonstrate how consistent and measurable progress toward inclusion, equity, and accessibility can be designed and executed.

Some questions arise at this point: How can insights and experiences from different cities be concretely replicated and scaled? How can we measure and evaluate progress on radical inclusion? What are the common short falls on the radical inclusion roadmap? And how can avoiding them be systematized? Answering these questions allows us to design governance systems and institutional approaches that build belonging by design. In the next sections we will provide some tools to help advance this aim.

The DisCo Policy Framework

The DisCo Urban Policy assessment framework is a tool that can help city managers and other urban stakeholders assess the inclusivity and resilience of their urban development efforts. It was developed in 2010 to provide a structured approach to data collection and to align local efforts with international normative frameworks. The framework includes five interrelated criteria, or pillars, for evaluating inclusive urban development: legislative measures, executive and budgetary support, administrative and coordinating capacity, participation of targeted groups, and attitudes toward targeted groups. By using the DisCo framework, stakeholders can identify the key areas a project is addressing and member states or city leaders can conduct rapid assessments at the neighborhood, city, or national level.

Complex socio-economic and inclusivity issues are rooted in decades long urban planning failures or complete omissions. As you read the following criteria, consider how you could conduct a rapid assessment of a policy issue at the scale of your neighborhood, city, state, or nation. Doing so could help you find gaps and identify potential solutions to existing shortcomings.

Pillar 1: Legislative Measures (Laws and Norms)

The first pillar is informed by the tradition of critical legal theory. Authority, politics, immutability, and neutrality are all natural products of a legal order. Critical legal theory also questions the epistemologies and genealogies of intellectual history that dominate our ways of understanding both the world and legality. Norms are shortcuts for behavior because of their role in informing reasoning processes (Kratochwil 1991).² Laws are informed by these norms, because norms simplify choices for actors with non-identical preferences.

When it comes to the development of policy, it is a contentious, political process and relies on the importance of persuasion. Policy arguments are selective, both shaping and shaped by regimes of power, which includes beliefs, attitudes, and values. Social constructs play a primary role in policy creation. Social constructions can be defined as the (typically negative and unrealistic) pre-existing notions, assumptions, stereotypes, associations, and representations of groups, populations, and histories. These social constructions tend to be the product of dominant regimes of truth, or the cultural spirit of the times, circulated by discourses, social structures, practices, and the media. Ultimately, these constructs manifest themselves throughout all sectors of society, including policy and law. Not only do these constructs impact the material welfare of target groups, but they also influence their social reputations, political attitudes, and participation patterns. Therefore groups lying at the margins of society (via exclusionary policy practices due to pre-existing social constructs) are often deemed unworthy of political inclusion and participation in policy (Baumgartner et al. 2018).³

It is also important to recognize the importance of language, both in policy and as a part of common usage in a given time. This is because language doesn’t simply mirror the world, it also has the power to profoundly shape our view of it in the first place (Forester 1993).⁴ The development of policy is a contentious, political process and relies on the importance of persuasion. Policy arguments are selective, both shaping and shaped by regimes of power, which includes beliefs, attitudes, and values. Social constructs play a primary role in policy creation. Social constructions can be defined as the (typically negative and unrealistic) pre-existing notions, assumptions, stereotypes, associations, and representations of groups, populations, and histories. These social constructions tend to be the product of dominant regimes of truth, or the cultural spirit of the times, circulated by discourses, social structures, practices, and the media. Ultimately, these constructs manifest themselves throughout all sectors of society, including policy and law. Not only do these constructs “impact the material welfare of target groups [in policy practices] but [they] also influence their social reputations, political attitudes, and participation patterns.” Therefore groups lying at the margins of society (via exclusionary policy practices due to pre-existing social constructs) are typically deemed unworthy of political inclusion and participation in policy (Baumgartner et al. 2018).⁵

It is also important to recognize the importance of language, both in policy and as a part of common usage in a given time. This is because language doesn’t simply mirror the world, it also has the power to profoundly shape our view of it in the first place (Forester 1993).⁶ Normative and deliberate language plays a vital role in the production of inclusive and equitable laws. This points to the importance of rethinking how norms, discourses, and the political-sociology of knowledge informs the possibilities of action and knowing within the legal system what is necessary to advance aspirations for inclusive law.

Pillar 2: Executive and Budgetary Support

Political cultures shape preferences around the organization of social activity and therefore shape resource allocation within prevailing structures. Therefore resource allocation in any given context epitomizes the prevailing structures and modes of power of the time.

The realities of resource scarcity necessitate the prioritization of political and collective actions, meaning that budgets become more than just mechanisms for allocating resources or the pursuit of efficiency, they also inevitably reflect social values. Therefore, the ways in which budgets are allocated tend to serve as a lens to examine dominant cultural and ideological imaginaries (the zeitgeist). These are then manifested through political choices and the processes that shape social life (Wildavsky 1986).⁷

Understanding the allocation and distribution of power and wealth can contribute to fostering more equitable and inclusive outcomes for persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups (Baumgartner et al. 2018).⁸ Budgets can therefore be seen as one mechanism for constructing and maintaining social values and budget analysis allows for the examination of cultural norms. In this way, political cultures and the social values of the zeitgeist, born out through the ways in which budgets are allocated, become critical in the development of an inclusive society that considers the needs of disabled individuals.

Pillar 3: Administrative and Coordinating Capacity

The twenty-first century has brought turbulent changes, brought about by globalization and hyper-competition trends paired with a weakening of global governance. The end result of this is an urgent need to internationally strengthen administrative capacities. Local agencies often lack the institutional capacity or human resources necessary to implement substantive changes.

Strengthening the public sector and its services should be done externally via legislation and a reinforcing of the appropriate role for governments as the guardians of society in domestic and international affairs. It also needs to involve engaging citizens, community organizations, and other organizational institutions in governance and administration. Transparency plays a key role in this process, as it supports the emphasis placed on increasing citizen participation, trust, and confidence in governmental practices (Farazmand 2009).⁹

Governments should look to conduct stakeholder mapping to better understand possible deficits in administrative and coordinating capacity and determine if the responsible parties are effectively working across sectors and scales. By looking closely at this pillar, program fragmentation and overlap can be avoided.

Pillar 4: Participation of the Targeted Group

Participation and representation processes are crucial to inclusive decision-making in urban planning processes. In addition to various other benefits such as the decentralization of interests and more innovative decisions, they provide a more nuanced and cautious cultural translation of inclusive decision-making within domestic and international settings. This helps ensure the unified implementation of decisions with a minimization of unintended consequences via cultural barriers.

Methods for planning should emphasize the interaction with and creation of public consultation techniques that increase public support and participatory input. All these recommendations for citizen participation in planning purposes are crucial when we consider the existence of unequal power dynamics. Participatory decision-making is important for power equalization in the public sector. Systemic exclusion of populations whose power lies in the margins of society are those whose input is most crucial to planning processes.

There should be a consensual understanding between planning agencies and the general public on what constitutes “citizen participation,” how the concept is put into practice, what resources are required, and what the various decision-making responsibilities will entail. This form of collaborative planning minimizes the room for error in the conceptualization of the citizenry’s desires and the actions of planning agencies (Fagence 1977).¹⁰

To these ends, governments should report on the level of participation of targeted beneficiaries in urban development. They should also report on the number of persons with disabilities in leadership positions, as well as the quality and types of engagements between local governments and disabled persons organization.

Pillar 5: Attitudes Toward the Targeted Group

Attitudes and beliefs are extremely important to disability policy and inclusion because of the ways in which they directly and indirectly influence courses of social action. There are three factors that interchangeably influence attitudes: affect, beliefs, and behavior. Affect is the moment of initial impact and feeling that people experience given any set encounters or events. Beliefs are mental shortcuts for associating people or events with a given characteristic. Behaviors are defined as the actions of an individual. These factors reciprocally affect and are affected by attitudes, with the key point here being that attitudes are not set in stone. Attitudes and beliefs shift with respect to an individual’s perception of their environments. However, attitudes and beliefs are also a product of the discourses and worldviews circulated within those environments; thus, people’s beliefs both shape and are shaped by the socio-cultural context in which they are embedded (Albarracin et al. 2005).¹¹

Political rhetoric and cultural discourses produce negative associations to people with physical or mental disabilities by superficially assuming high dependency. This is in contrast to policies and actions aimed at empowerment. This highlights the importance of the interchanging dynamics between beliefs and attitudes about marginalized groups. By being inclusive in policy processes, we can contribute to the rethinking of pre-existing attitudes and beliefs about marginalized populations.

Governments and cities should report on their efforts to promote and monitor awareness raising efforts. This includes reporting on the metrics used to assess communication and outreach initiatives (via both social media and traditional media). In addition, it is important to continuously study the prevalence of biases and negative attitudes toward persons with disabilities, which inhibits further progress from being made.

When conducting data collection efforts, these must be strong, multi-stakeholder efforts that promote sustained collaboration, information sharing, and knowledge exchange between all disability and development actors. Strong coordination of data collection efforts helps ensure that policies and programs actually generate the desired changes.

A primary goal in the development of the DisCo framework was to establish a conversation among the divergent fields of inquiry, knowledge, and expertise, by gathering the data necessary to create a starting point that stakeholders could then build upon. Robust, multi-stakeholder platforms that support information sharing and sustained collaboration between all disability and development actors can greatly facilitate the accessibility and inclusion of international cooperation programs, ultimately resulting in more inclusive cities.

The Iceberg of Inequality

The Iceberg of Inequality model helps to highlight the primary rights in a hierarchical form.

The basic functionings provide a baseline from which to build and expand capabilities through increasing basic freedoms.

Basic functionings are differentiated from basic freedoms in the following ways:

• 1. Basic functionings are understood as primary needs and are thus fundamental to the enjoyment of all of an individual’s rights.

• 2. Basic freedoms are necessary to expand basic functionings into capabilities, which are in themselves the goal of development. Basic freedoms allow for capabilities and functionings to be converted into social value. They also allow persons with disabilities to live the type of life they “have reason to value” (Sen 1999).¹²

Capabilities can also be presented as a function of an individual’s basic functionings (BFn) and basic freedoms (BFr):

$$ Capabilities=f\ \left( BFn+ BFr\right) $$

The pillars can be used to display multiple dimensions of exclusion and benchmark inclusion and they can do so across the various dimensions through the Iceberg of Inequality (Fig. 5.1).

Fig. 5.1

The Pineda Iceberg of Inequality. This diagram shows an “iceberg” or triangle where the first layer (under the water) lists basic freedoms: Access, Independent Living, Political and Public Participation, Mobility, and Awareness Raising. The second layer, above the water, is Basic Functioning and shows Education, Social Protection and Safety Nets, Employment, and at the top: Health, Habilitation, Rehabilitation

The Iceberg of Inequality is a conceptual model for understanding the basic policy areas or sectors that need to come together to create systemic and holistic change. These factors support a holistic approach, one that further calibrates a set of agencies and responsible parties to align around the principles of radical inclusion. How might we operationalize radical inclusion? What other initiatives exist that have the potential to transform systems and create new models for governance and models for building belonging by design? Finally, what can we learn from these existing models and efforts?

Age-Friendly Cities

Active aging means to have an active and healthy life, to continue to enjoy, learn, make decisions, contribute and connect as we age. (Shu-Ti Chiou, Global Vice-President for Capacity Building, Education and Training, International Union for Health Promotion & Education)

The World Health Organization describes age-friendly cities as inclusive and accessible urban environments that promote active aging. Age-friendly cities promote active aging through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society ecological approach to developing comprehensive enabling policies, built environments, and activities to support active aging for all.

In order to create age-friendly cities, we must first acknowledge and look to understand how ageism affects the ability of older people to fully enjoy and utilize the cities they live in. It’s also necessary to understand the enormity of the demographic shifts that are occurring in many cities and countries around the world. The global age profile is shifting and shifting rapidly.

In 2019, the population over the age of 60 represented 1 billion people, or around 13 percent of the global population. Of those 1 billion, 46 percent are defined as having one or more disabilities. There is therefore a clear and important overlap between older people and those with a disability. Today, 58 percent of people over 60 live in Asia and the Pacific region.

In 2030, the population over 60 will rise to 1.4 billion or 17 percent of the projected global population. By 2050, it will be 2.1 billion or 21 percent of the population. With this increase in the proportion of the population over the age of 60 will come a corresponding increase in the proportion of people who live with a disability.

There are many similarities in the stigmas that older persons and persons with a disability face every day. We have all encountered stigmatism to some extent, whether we have a disability, or whether we are older or younger. It is a form of discrimination, which is simply an act by those who are ignoring and sometimes empowered to prevent people from being able to exercise their human rights. Especially for older persons and those with a disability, stigma can cause people to be treated differently to the extent that it often drives people to hide illness to avoid discrimination. It can also lead to older people being actively targeted and preyed upon with misinformation or scams.

Age-Accessible Transportation

We need age-accessible transportation so older persons as well as disabled persons can easily travel. This has important wider implications, allowing them to connect with the whole city. This involves ensuring:

• Public transportation costs are consistent, clearly displayed, and affordable.

• Vehicles are clean, well-maintained, accessible, not overcrowded, and have priority seating that is respected.

• Specialized transportation is available for disabled people.

• A voluntary transport service is available where public transportation is too limited.

• Traffic signs and intersections are clearly visible and well-placed.

To develop age-friendly cities with appropriate transportation, the first step is to engage political leaders at national and local levels. The second step is to build an intersectional community, not only leaders but experts joining the government on these types of initiatives. It’s also important to put older persons’ perspectives at the center of the decision-making process. This includes looking at their needs and demands, identifying weaknesses in systems, and helping to develop comprehensive communications channels. Outreach is required to connect with people living alone who are older or disabled.

The age-friendly city movement provides the additional benefit of strengthening societal resilience against the COVID-19 outbreak and similar pandemics. This is because citizens are engaged and communications channels are already in place to connect with isolated or potentially vulnerable people.

The Impact and Legacy of a New Urban Agenda

As an urban planner with lived experience of disability, I understood that the existing urban policies neglected the voices and perspectives of many groups, particularly persons with disabilities and older persons. By 2015, the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development was already a few years into its global stakeholder engagements. Manuel Rodas, the Mayor of Quito, Ecuador and a wheelchair user, Lenin Morena, the Vice-President at the time would host the conference and unite the world around principles that would shape the future of cities.¹³ In May of 2016, six months before the conference, I received an email from a high-level UN Official with a draft of the New Urban Agenda, which was the proposed outcome document of the conference. Within the 150 paragraphs of this international agreement they noted that persons with disabilities were only referenced once, (and that was simply within an extensive list of many other marginalized groups). What struck me was that this specific paragraph was not intentional or specific about what types of interventions, standards, approaches, or protections should be advanced.

To respond to this oversight, World Enabled, CBM, and the World Blind Union mobilized a global campaign with over 180 individuals and organizations to advocate for a more robust engagement with the disability community. The Global Network for Disability Inclusive and Accessible Urban Development (DIAUD) secured 15 substantive references to persons with disabilities in the final document.¹⁴ It was a monumental achievement to reverse course and force other national governments to reconsider their endorsement of the penultimate draft. At the convening and final assembly, there were more than 30 thousand people who participated. More than 2000 representatives of local and regional governments received accreditation. This event convened one of the widest ranges of stakeholders ever assembled by the UN system.¹⁵

These groups came together with hundreds of local and national governments, research institutions, civil society networks, and grassroots organizations to shape the principles that will shape our urban future. In full force was our group of 30 DIAUD delegates representing persons with disabilities from all over the world. At the conclusion of these negotiations, the New Urban Agenda was released, a UN declaration signed by 167 nations, which laid out a 20-year roadmap for sustainable urban development.¹⁶

The Habitat III Issue Papers¹⁷ highlighted six areas that engaged ten policy units: Social Cohesion and Equity—Livable Cities, Urban Frameworks, Spatial Development, Urban Economy, Urban Ecology and Environment, and Urban Housing and Basic Services. Over 100 global experts collaborated to produce a total of 21 papers; however, these overwhelmingly failed to explicitly mention vital issues and themes such as Universal Design, accessibility, and disability rights. Each gap and policy unit could have been further reviewed by an access and inclusion expert, or someone with insights and understanding of urban process and planning. The following five discussion points summarize efforts made to advance equity, access, and inclusion in cities.¹⁸

• 1. Participation and Social Innovation in Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation

Participatory planning approaches that center the experiences and input of traditionally excluded groups are key to shaping radically inclusive cities. Decisions on where to place bus stops, for example, should be informed by the experiences of disabled people and women, who are more likely to face the consequences of inaccessible or dangerous placements.

This process allows stakeholders who hold disparate interests to work collectively to solve problems. Urban planning initiatives that help the elderly navigate the city independently may also be beneficial to individuals with disabilities, or children, who also wish to maneuver around the city independently.

• 2. Realizing the Rights of All to Universal Access to Physical Spaces and Basic Services

All people deserve to be able to access basic quality services without difficulty. The universal nature of this right necessitates targeted interventions to ensure that all groups and demographics have the same access to services such as affordable housing, health care (including reproductive care and mental health care), nutritious food, safe water and sanitation, education, and income security.

Approaches to guarantee these rights must be developed through participatory planning programs to ensure that no groups are left out or under-resourced. Particular attention must be placed on supporting migrant populations given the number of people migrating to cities each year (which is only expected to rise).

• 3. Spatial Planning for Inclusion

Forward-thinking spatial planning is critical to ensuring that cities become more inclusive, accessible, and resilient into the future. Planning initiatives to facilitate equal access to job opportunities can help lessen inequality between residential and working areas. These approaches can also ensure that new residents of urban areas have access to safe and sustainable work and a living wage. These and other approaches will help support the economic transitions facing urban environments.

• 4. Accountability

Transparency and effective oversight measures are necessary for reducing corruption and protecting public interests. The city of Cebu in the Philippines developed gender responsive community report cards to demonstrate the efficacy of government efforts and to otherwise monitor performance. These report cards have helped the city respond to the particular needs of women and develop initiatives to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.

Open access to government databases can provide the public with information on development plans, disaster risks and evacuation information, budgeting, and other areas of interest. These efforts promote decision-making that is publicly informed and supported and allows for partnerships with and input from community organizations such as disability rights organizations (DPOs).

• 5. Understanding the Roles of National and Local Government in Generating Inclusive Urbanization

Partnerships between local and national governments and among local governments can allow for widespread targeted interventions to address common problems throughout a region. Efforts to promote sustainable and inclusive urban growth must be a key priority to both local and national governments and municipalities should work together to address discrepancies between policy approaches.

Specifically, national policies can hinder or enable local governments in their efforts to generate inclusive environments such as when national immigration enforcement programs clash with so-called “sanctuary cities.”

Radically Inclusive Cities in Practice

Cities that are radically inclusive effectively monitor, measure, and evaluate progress on radical inclusion in urban governance. These cities have strong accountability mechanisms paired with capable leadership. They develop core capabilities that allow them to align policies with practical, measurable actions. To support this, radically inclusive cities implement data, monitoring, and evaluation mechanisms across a variety of interconnected agencies and task forces. Finally, they engage in continuous learning and ensure that a cross-cutting, radically inclusive approach is being applied to unlock existing knowledge and underutilized resources. Below we dive deeper into how to do this and how city leaders and other urban stakeholders can take action.

Adopt Standards to Advance Universal Accessibility in the Built Environment

Encourage Design Standards Appropriate to the Community Context

Design standards are specific criteria and requirements that dictate the form, function, and appearance of development in a physical or digital space. These standards can be used to improve accessibility and protect the function and esthetic appeal of a community or neighborhood. Some examples of design standards include guidelines for building placement, building massing and materials, and the location and appearance of elements such as landscaping, signage, and street furniture. It is important for these standards to consider accessibility for persons with disabilities, such as by including accessible information kiosks in key public buildings or designing busy entrance ways with mobility impaired people in mind. Accessible design standards can encourage development that is compatible with the community context and enhances a sense of place. While a comprehensive city-wide master plan may not specify detailed accessibility standards, it can establish the direction and objectives that these standards should aim to achieve, such as ensuring that new development meets certain accessibility requirements.

Provide Accessible and Smart Public Facilities and Spaces

Public facilities play an important role in every city, and they should be able to accommodate persons of all ages and abilities. Public facilities including digital spaces such as online forums, social media, websites, apps, as well as schools, parks, civic or community centers, public safety facilities, arts and cultural facilities, recreational facilities, and plazas, should be accessible to all regardless of whether they have difficulty seeing, hearing, or speaking. They should be located and designed to be safe, served by different transportation modes, and accessible to visitors with mobility impairments.

Adopt Standards to Advance Accessibility Through Integrated, Multimodal Transportation Systems

Plan for Smart and Holistic Multimodal Transportation

A smart multimodal transportation system allows people to use a variety of transportation modes including walking, biking, and other mobility devices (e.g., wheelchairs) and access the transit services and information digitally where possible. Such a system reduces dependence on automobiles, offers more choice, and encourages more active forms of personal transportation. This leads to improved health outcomes and increases the mobility of those who are unable or unwilling to drive. Fewer cars on the road also translate to reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions with associated health and environmental benefits.

Plan for Transit-Oriented Development

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is characterized by a concentration of higher density mixed use development around transit stations and along transit lines to encourage public transit use and pedestrian activity. TOD allows communities to focus on new residential and commercial development in areas that are well-connected to public transit. This enables residents to more easily use transit services, which can reduce vehicle-miles traveled and fossil fuels consumed and associated reductions in pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. It can also reduce the need for personal automobile ownership, resulting in a decreased need for parking spaces and other automobile-oriented infrastructure.

Provide Complete Streets Serving Multiple Functions

Complete streets are designed and operated with all users in mind—including motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transit riders (where applicable) of all ages and abilities—to support an accessible and affordable multimodal transportation system. A complete street network is one that safely and conveniently accommodates all users and desired functions, though this does not mean that all modes or functions will be equally prioritized on any given street segment. Streets that serve multiple functions can accommodate travel, social interaction, and commerce to provide for more vibrant neighborhoods and more livable communities.

Adopt Standards to Integrate Land Use, Climate Resilience, Historic Preservation With Social Inclusion

Plan for Mixed Land-Use Patterns That Are Walkable and Bikeable

Mixed land-use patterns are characterized by residential and nonresidential land uses located in close proximity to one another. Incorporating safe, convenient, smart, accessible, and attractive design features (e.g., sidewalks with sensors, bike street furniture, bicycle sharing, street trees, public wi-fi), mixed land uses, and providing housing in close proximity to everyday destinations (e.g., shops, civic places, workplaces) can increase walking and biking and increase personal mobility.

Prioritize Access With Infill Development

Infill development is characterized by development or redevelopment of undeveloped or underutilized parcels of land in otherwise built-up areas. These are usually served by or have ready access to existing infrastructure and services. Ensure all new construction incorporates national or ISO accessibility standards.

Implement Accessibility Standards into Green Building Design and Energy Conservation

A green building is characterized by design features that, if used as intended, will minimize the environmental impacts of the building over the course of its lifespan. In addition, social sustainability including principles of Universal Design should be considered in parallel to environmental impact assessment. This reduces the need to retrofit in the future and supports change of behavior that is more accepting of accessibility.

Conserve and Enhance Historic Resources

Historic resources are buildings, sites, landmarks, or districts with exceptional value or quality for illustrating or interpreting the cultural heritage of a city. It is important to address digital accessibility in accessing information, as well as ensuring the conservation and enhancement efforts improve accessibility as much as possible.

Case Study From the United Arab Emirates

Dubai and Abu Dhabi, located in the United Arab Emirates, are cities that have undergone significant transformation in the nearly 52 years since the UAE’s independence in 1971. These cities, known for their iconic skylines and record-setting skyscrapers, have become global centers for business, finance, and leisure, with a focus on continuous change and development. The transformation of these cities has been driven by the vision of their leadership, which has sought to turn them into more than just regional hubs by constructing towering skyscrapers and artificial islands. Today, Dubai and Abu Dhabi are examples of cities that have successfully embraced accessibility within a framework of modernity and the principles of avant-gardism, as exemplified by their iconic architecture and inclusive and accessible features of their tourism sector, including their indoor ski slopes.

The United Arab Emirates has experienced rapid urban, infrastructural, and economic growth in recent years, with a population increase from 235,000 in 1970 to 9,991,000 in 2021. It is important to note that 90 percent of this population consists of immigrants. Among the UAE’s cities, Dubai is the largest, with a population of 2.4 million. Abu Dhabi, the capital, and Dubai have developed broad city-scale agendas that engage stakeholders from the government, private sector, and communities. These agendas, which often have high levels of support, have created opportunities for collaboration and have helped to ensure the success of future city plans. Two agendas that are currently prioritized in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi are "Smart," "Happy," and "Tolerant," which aim to promote innovation, digitalization, diversity, social inclusion, and equality as key drivers for a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable future for all.

The cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi have made concerted efforts to align their ambitious urban development plans with the key global agendas. Equity, justice, and access in the rapidly urbanizing city-states of Dubai and Abu Dhabi shape the story of disability in the UAE, starting with the first center for children with disabilities in the 1980s to UAE’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2008, and later in 2014 when Dubai’s legal, institutional, physical, and social reforms led to the passage of Dubai Law No. 2 on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the launch of the Dubai Disability Strategy one year later. The Higher Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was established to (1) oversee the implementation of the law, (2) meet the CRPD obligations and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets, and (3) establish a governance model outlining the role of private and public sectors and civil society institutions in developing practical steps to support the related legislations and laws, programmatic and policy choices, organizational values and working practices, and the mainstreaming of disability by providing quality, affordable and inclusive healthcare; education; employment and social protective services; and accessible built, digital, and transportation amenities, systems, and environments.

It was an inspired vision by the Dubai leadership to make Dubai an inclusive, barrier-free, rights-based society that promotes, protects, and ensures the self-determination of people with disabilities or, as aptly coined in October 2017 by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, “People of Determination.” Dubai serves as an ideal case study in understanding the public response to developing and implementing mainstream disability rights programs and policies. This is not because Dubai is a typical case, but because it counters dominant thinking and provides a model in the areas of innovation, governance, inclusion, and urbanization. As such, ensuring that persons with disabilities/determination are entitled to all the rights and privileges, that they are respected and treated with dignity, and that their potential as empowered and productive members of society is now recognized by the UAE as a whole, as demonstrated by the launch of the UAE disability national strategy in 2017 followed by the city of Abu Dhabi launching its ambitious disability strategy in 2020.

Urbanization provides Dubai and Abu Dhabi the opportunity for social inclusion, equitable access to services and livelihoods, and engaging and mobilizing vulnerable populations at risk of exclusion. They are able to showcase efforts to combat social exclusion and marginalization and discuss how innovation and Universal Design projects in their cities are creating a new paradigm in inclusive urban development, collectively pledging that no one will be left behind. They denote that to operationalize the Leave No One Behind (LNOB) principle, local and regional governments should structure their policies around inclusive human rights instruments and development plans to include the CRPD, SDGs, New Urban Agenda (NUA), and the WHO Age-friendly Cities and Communities frameworks. Dubai’s journey is a transformative model of inclusion. It has shaped the development of quality standards on inclusion and accessibility, underpinning the principles and mechanism of the Cities4All Global Compact on Inclusive and Accessible Cities framework for local and regional governments to begin developing and aligning their urban strategies toward inclusion. In practice, the six principles—non-discrimination, participation, accessibility, inclusive urban policies and programs, capacity building, and data for development—can lead to tangible shifts in social equity and resilience in cities and create universally inclusive and accessible environments that leave no one behind.

What Can We Learn from This Case Study?

The overall goal by passing the Dubai Disability Strategy in 2015 was to develop an inclusive, barrier-free, and rights-based framework that would allow the institutions to evolve and respond more effectively to the needs of persons with disabilities and older persons.

In light of these strategies and laws being passed first in Dubai, the Federal Government adopted them in policy, planning, and design, which made inclusion and accessibility part of the national federal strategy in 2020¹⁹, shortly after the city of Abu Dhabi launched their Strategy for People of Determination. The implementation of these laws has just begun.

In particular, the coordinating mechanisms developed in Dubai were innovative; they created immediate and profound results. The Smart Dubai Agency, leading digital transformation, responded to the Dubai Disability Strategy by holding itself accountable to the highest rating in digital accessibility and adhering to the highest standards of accessibility in all government websites, apps, training programs, and other digital infrastructure.

In 2016, a coalition that included the Dubai Executive Council, the Roads & Transportation Authority, and the Community Development Authority started the Dubai Universal Accessibility Strategy and Action Plan (DUASAP) as a direct follow-up to the Dubai Disability Strategy. The goal was to ensure that the Emirate of Dubai becomes fully and universally accessible in preparation for Dubai Expo 2020. The process resulted in the Dubai Universal Design Code and a training program to transfer skills to architects and engineers working for the Dubai Municipality and all related government agencies. Further, this action plan affects how to audit the city infrastructure, identifying and addressing physical and social barriers to inclusion and accessibility.

In 2017, the Dubai Inclusive Education Policy Framework was launched by the Dubai Disability Strategy’s Inclusive Education Task Force that aims to transform education systems to be inclusive. The policy framework for inclusive education, along with three additional support publications including guidelines for schools and parents, are directives from the Dubai Disabilities Strategy, which aims to make the city a fully cohesive and inclusive society, one where the rights and access to equitable opportunities for children with disabilities are assured and protected. The inclusive education framework is rights-based and in line with the UAE’s local and federal legislation that fulfill obligations toward the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Callout Box—News Article

• People with disabilities rate the top 10 cities that are easiest for them to travel around

• Source: CNBC TRAVEL

Consider This

The Valuable 500, a business coalition, released its list of the top 10 most accessible cities in the world. The report cited a survey conducted among 3500 individuals with disabilities, who rated cities based on “transport links, proximity of accommodation to attractions, shops, and restaurants, and the availability of information about accessibility.” The survey involved participants from five countries—the U.K., United States, Japan, China and Australia.

Martin Heng, a travel writer who wrote the report, noted: “Although physical accessibility is important, what’s so significant is that across all territories people with disability choose travel providers based on being treated with respect and having an understanding of their needs.” This highlights the importance of accessibility and inclusivity in the travel and tourism industry. Accessibility arrangements for individuals with disabilities are often an afterthought in the industry, and the survey shows that cities that consistently score well in accessibility rankings are those that provide accessible transport, information, and accommodations, and that treat individuals with disabilities with respect and have an awareness of their needs. Ensuring accessibility and inclusivity in the travel and tourism industry is not only important for the benefit of individuals with disabilities, but also for the industry as a whole, as it allows for a wider range of customers to access and enjoy its services.