It’s putting the person, the human at the centre of what you do. Because no matter what industry or sector you’re in, there’s a human in there somewhere, so just anticipate and consider their needs.
Kathryn Townsend, Head of Customer & Client Accessibility, Barclays UK
Inclusive environments are places that work better for everybody – whether that place is a school, office, park, street, care home, bus route or train station. An inclusive approach to planning, design and management is an opportunity to use creativity and agile thinking to make places that reflect the diversity of people who want to use them.
Inclusive environments are:
- Welcoming to everyone
- Responsive to people’s needs
- Intuitive to use
- Flexible
- Offer choice when a single design solution cannot meet all user needs
- Convenient so they can be used without undue effort or special separation and so that they maximise independence
Crucial to the success of inclusive environments is consultation with user groups, putting people who represent a diversity of age, ability, gender and community at the heart of the design process.
Inclusive Environments CPD
Inclusive design is the responsibility of everyone who works in the built environment: planners, those who commission new buildings and places, access consultants, designers, architects, engineers, surveyors, property owners and facilities managers. Our Inclusive Environments CPD aims to encourage the UK’s highly skilled professionals to continue leading the way in building the most accessible and inclusive country in the world.
The CPD aims to:
- Increase awareness of inclusive design as standard practice at a national level
- Change the perceptions and aspirations of 600,000 designers and specifiers on inclusive design
The Inclusive Environments CPD has been funded by partners including the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and developed in partnership with the key institutes and experts on Inclusive Design across the UK.
The CPD is free to take and takes around an hour to complete through an online course. Upon completion of the course, you will be awarded a certificate from Design Council.
Why it matters
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Office for National Statistics - National Population Projections, 2012-based Statistical Bulletin
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The King's Fund - Exploring the system-wide costs of falls in older people in Torbay
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Gov.uk Disability facts and figures
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Gov.uk press release - High street could be boosted by £212 billion ‘purple pound’ by attracting disabled people and their families
An ageing population
The UK’s population is getting older. Housing provision needs to change to meet this rapidly growing demand. There are wider benefits from developing good quality housing for older people including a reduction in health and social care costs, as well as freeing up of much-needed family housing.
Stronger communities
The quality of the built environment has a significant role to play in tackling social disadvantage. The majority of people use and value parks and green spaces, but minority groups tend to have less local green space and it is of poorer quality.
Economic growth
An estimated £5.3bn in lost earnings is due to people who have dropped out of the workforce to take on caring responsibilities for older or disabled friends and family. Lifetime Homes is a policy tool that helps planners and other built environment professionals understand the benefits of helping maintain independence in their own homes.
Buying power
According to Disability Rights UK, 83% of disabled people had 'walked away' from making a purchase, unable or unwilling to do so. The most important factor was inaccessible premises. Other important factors that discouraged disabled consumers from spending were poorly designed products and staff who were not disability confident, were rude or appeared prejudiced.
Regulation
The Equality Act, National Planning Policy Framework and guidance on building regulations all require new and existing buildings and spaces to provide access for all.
The Hub
Building on previous Design Council and Cabe work we have partnered with various organisations to build a hub of inclusive design best practice guidance for built environment professionals. It covers buildings and outdoor spaces, in all phases of development including planning, design and construction, right through to the management of those buildings and places. It is a collection of resources and we do not promote the use of one over the other.
Suggest a resource
If you would like to suggest a resource to be included in this hub, please send us a link and a short description explaining what the resource is, and who it applies to.
Inclusive Environments Hub
Find best practice guidance covering buildings and outdoor spaces in all phases of development.
Search the hubWe would like to thank all of our partners for their support to date, particularly the Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government for funding the development of the resource hub, and David Bonnett Associates for generously gifting us their inclusive design library.
Sponsors
- Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG)
- Historic England
- Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
- Atkins
- National Register of Access Consultants
- The Access Association
- Sharp & Bentley
- City of London Corporation
Supporters
- Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management
- Building Control Alliance
- Centre for Accessible Environments
- Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists
- Chartered Institute of Building
- Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation
- Construction Industry Council
- Greater London Authority (GLA)
- Institution of Civil Engineers
- Landscape Institute
- Local Authority Building Control
- Planning Officers Society
- Royal Institute of British Architects
- Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
- Royal Town Planning Institute
- Built Environment Professional Education Project, Office for Disability Issues
If we want an inclusive society we need to create buildings and spaces that are accessible and inclusive to all. Done properly, at the right time, inclusive design should not add cost.
Tony Burton, Chairman – Construction Industry Council