Planning for human diversity: design patterns of Universal Design

Ensuring the conditions for an inclusive society in the face of human
diversity places various demands on the built environment. Planning is
essential for accommodating a wide range of individual preferences and
abilities.

This article examines the presence and absence of Universal Design (UD)
in contemporary urban planning and construction in eight new or remodelled
Swedish building and public space projects. The projects were
studied in-situ and via documentation from the planning and building
process.

The findings show two ways in which UD is present. The first is a pattern
where people are not separated from each other, whilst the second
is a pattern of facilitating equal use by placing low demands on users’
abilities. It was revealed that UD was implemented more in remodelling
projects than in new constructions, which instead created new inequalities
through categorisations of users and high demands on users’ abilities.
They were also linked to an imbalance between green and social
sustainability.

We argue that a change of mindset is pivotal for implementing UD.
Human diversity must be a consideration throughout planning and
building processes, and creating a sustainable society requires UD. This
article contributes new knowledge regarding patterns characterising
such a mindshift.