Towards inclusive urban design: Promoting design for all in Syria

ABSTRACT A comfortable environment is the basis for the quality of life, it is what makes a person satisfied and content in their society, in order to be happy, they desire the availability of access to public services easily without obstacles, and this is what is known as the concept of accessibility. This study aims to highlight the importance of design for all in the urban environments, to provide accessible streets, and the advantages of applying its standards in the Syrian streets, as after the war and the effects it had on the city and citizens. Additionally, most of the streets are designed for vehicles without taking into account services for pedestrians regardless of their physical condition, especially people who require special services (the elderly, the blind, people with strollers and even people with reduced mobility). In order to achieve this aim, three international standards were studied as a literature review (WDU, ADA, and ABNT) and their results were compared with one of the important streets of Aleppo city, which is Ibn Al-Bitar Street, known as Adonis Street, which has been chosen as a case study to implement the potential improvements in terms of design for all/accessibility. Accordingly, to reveal the obstacles that pedestrians in this street face in terms of accessibility, a survey was conducted. Therefore, by following the standards of the study, and the data collected from the survey, we produced solutions to the obstacles of accessibility. Accordingly, the study presents comprehensive recommendations and illustrative proposals for the rehabilitation of services specific to people with reduced mobility and visually impaired, which will encourage the revival of the city and the return of refugees. All of these efforts aim to promote equal opportunities for participation in the society and enhance accessibility in Syrian streets by improving and updating the current standards to be more comprehensive and designed for all. Keywords: Accessible Street, Accessibility, Design for All, Streets Standards, Disability.