1 / 11

Accessibility for All Ages and Abilities: Opportunities for Austin

Accessibility for All Ages and Abilities: Opportunities for Austin. Billy Fields Assistant Professor Political Science. Presentation Overview. All Ages/All Abilities: paradigm c hange Complete streets: tool for culture c hange Building a network for Austin: p reliminary thoughts .

fedora
Download Presentation

Accessibility for All Ages and Abilities: Opportunities for Austin

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Accessibility for All Ages and Abilities: Opportunities for Austin Billy Fields Assistant Professor Political Science

  2. Presentation Overview • All Ages/All Abilities: paradigm change • Complete streets: tool for culture change • Building a network for Austin: preliminary thoughts

  3. All Ages/All Abilities: Paradigm Change • Transportation access for people of all ages and abilities vital for healthy communities • Current system focused on automobiles for mobility • Problem: 30% of overall pop. can not or chooses not to drive (Millar and Sundquist2012) • Need to move from providing for mobility to accessibility • Change involves thinking more broadly about transportation options and land use

  4. All Ages/All Abilities: Paradigm Change • Movement for change: complete streets • Complete streets designed to provide “safe access to destinations for everyone, regardless of age, ability, income, ethnicity or how they travel” (Seskin and Gordon-Koven, 2013, p. 1) • Movement growing Complete Streets Policy Adoption in the U.S. Source: Snyder (2013)

  5. All Ages/All Abilities: Paradigm Change • What would complete streets network look like? • System would: • Provide a network of sidewalks for local trips • Create safe crossings to connect sidewalks • Provide access to transit for longer trips • Create a high-comfort network of bicycle facilities • Example: half of all trips for Dutch and German citizens over 75 by bicycle (Pucherand Dijkstra2003)

  6. Complete Streets: Tool for Culture Change • Despite progress, complete streets contested • In studies of Minneapolis and Louisiana common theme: culture change process at DOT/DPW crucial Respondent Descriptions of LA DOTD Culture

  7. Complete Streets: Tool for Culture Change • Research findings: overcoming bureaucratic inertia requires coalition building and engagement • Matches Innovative DOT findings. Requires: • 1. Collaborative culture within the organization • 2. Diverse stakeholders in process • 3. Breaking down silos • 4. Focus on where decisions are made within the • organization • 5. Focus on opportunities for reform Millar and Sundquist (2012)

  8. Austin: All Ages Network Framework?

  9. Basic All Ages/Abilities Network Components • Bicycling network: • Off-road network of trails and greenways • Neighborhood greenways (bike boulevards) andcycle tracks • Walking network: • Sidewalk network • Improved crossings • Access to transit options

  10. Preliminary Thoughts on All Ages/Abilities Network for Austin • Despite 45.8 miles of greenbelts, Austin lacks a connected “transportation” greenway network • Opportunities for neighborhood greenways and cycle tracks could create connections • Lack of sidewalks in Austin significant problem • Example: walking with my 4 year old on streets without sidewalks • Coalition building across sectors vital: public health, age-friendly communities, planners, cyclists and others

  11. Thank You! Billy Fields Assistant Professor Political Science

More Related