You can easily move around the city with a childstroller? And imagine that you can't see or can't walk. This important topic was the subject of a round table discussion, where we acted not only as information partners, but also as speakers. What do you imagine when you hear the phrase "barrier-free space"? A street with smooth sidewalks, barriers on dangerous sections of the road or convenient curbs? In reality, a barrier-free space can be considered one that is equally convenient for moving around not only for an ordinary pedestrian, but also for a mother with a stroller or a person with disabilities.
Not long ago, a round table was held in Moscowon the topic "Universal design - an environment convenient for everyone". It was organized by the "Create!" foundation, created to support young Russian architects and designers. The magazine roomble.com acted as an information partner of this undoubtedly very important event. Those gathered actively discussed pressing issues and talked about the experience of several cities, such as Yekaterinburg, Moscow, Korolev, Barcelona, as well as cities in Germany.
The speakers at the round table were:Participants of the meeting came from different cities. Moscow was represented by: Vice President of the City Without Barriers Foundation Sergey Chisty, Advisor to the Head of the Main Department of Architecture and Urban Development of the Moscow Region Elena Kosorenkova, Orientation and Mobility Specialist Alexey Lyubimov, Leading Designer of the Union of Designers of Moscow Evgeny Vilenkin, as well as our Editor-in-Chief Oksana Kashenko. Yekaterinburg was represented by an expert in accessible architectural environments for people with disabilities and universal design Elena Leontyeva. Representatives from Germany also spoke as speakers: accessible environment expert and owner of Wagner Wohnen Michael Wagner, representative of Wagner Wohnen Erna Wiebeig.
The conclusion of the round table participants was nottoo joyful for our compatriots: the capital of our homeland is not that it is not at all prepared for people with disabilities and mothers with strollers, but everything is done too crookedly. The ramps are either too narrow or too slippery, the vaunted special coating, which now covers a good third of Moscow's sidewalks in uneven yellow patches, leaves much to be desired - strollers get stuck in it and heels break.
Things are much brighter in the sunnySpain. Our editor-in-chief has prepared a speech about the peculiarities of construction and improvement of Barcelona streets. One of the principles of attitude in Spain towards people with special needs is intolerance to their harassment. In particular, the word "disabled" is considered offensive there, and all public areas are designed in such a way that it is convenient for wheelchair users, the aforementioned happy parents with children, and even cyclists to move around them. In particular, in Barcelona, a person with disabilities can comfortably use the metro, visit banks, restaurants, and supermarkets.
Oksana Kashenko, www.roomble.com: — As a mother of two children, I understand very well what a barrier-free urban environment should be like. Because even in the center of Moscow, going with a child in a stroller to the nearest drugstore can be an extreme journey: starting with the fact that you have to carry the stroller in your arms from the elevator to the exit from the entrance, and ending with the fact that not every store has ramps, and if they do, they are often made formally, that is, they are there, but not adapted to reality. I'm not even talking about streets where there are no sidewalks or the tiles are knocked out, or where the builders, having overdone it, put all the rest of the "blind tiles" in front of the traffic lights, in which the wheels of the stroller simply get stuck. And a trip to the airport with suitcases and a stroller is generally an exercise for weightlifters. And if you think that these problems cannot be solved, or that a lot of money needs to be allocated for this, go to Barcelona, where a mother with a stroller, a cyclist, and a disabled person feel equally comfortable not only when walking down the street, but also when riding a tram. I am very glad that people have appeared who are interested in an informal approach to resolving this difficult issue. Yes, money is needed. But even more so are specialists who have experience in solving such problems at the city and federal levels. answers.com, panoramio.com, wipolo.com, barcelona-home.com
Space without barriers: when cities become comfortable for all
