| Abstrakt: |
In the light of the accelerating ageing of the European population, this article addresses the topic of universal accessibility as a key dimension of an inclusive design approach, aimed at supporting active ageing and ageing in place. The point of departure is the acknowledged need to make people able to age in their habitual life context: the scientific debate, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as the need to contain welfare costs, all point to the strategic role of the topic in the urban agendas of the near future. The aim of the article - which draws on the results of an ongoing research - is to put forward design/planning strategies for an inclusive ageing, with particular attention to the accessibility and secure use of historic urban contexts. Based on the international debate on universal accessibility, the article proposes an analytical methodology that identifies the main relations between the environment (home, building, urban context), ageing (needs) and quality of life, and subsequently applies it to the concrete case study of the historic centre of Reggio Calabria, where the degree of accessibility to public spaces and the key barriers are determined. The article then presents the main results of the field work, putting forward possible remedies to the observed issues and outlining - also based on innovative initiatives experimented in other contexts - possible strategies for more inclusive urban agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
