Case Study: Building Inclusivity in Des Moines

The article referenced in this post can be found here. Feel free to read the article if you want more in-depth information before continuing!

This article covers the second topic of our committee, Building Inclusive Cities for Disabled Persons. Although the message was directed at the Iowa climate planning team, it generally covers the dangers of not considering inclusivity when planning cities. They bring up how cities do not facilitate safe environments for disabled persons through their poorly designed infrastructure, which are tested to the extreme with natural disasters ranging from floods to an annual heatwave.

The article brought many interesting reflections to the table. In power outages, there was no protocol or any accessible healthcare individuals could rely on, causing several to die and many to leave the state. Transportation not considering inclusive practices in Toronto and British Columbia led to innumerable and preventable deaths. Although these problems may sound situational, there’s a reason why death rates are higher amongst the disabled community (during heat waves, the death rate can get up to three times higher compared to the rest of the population).

Here are some parting discussion questions to guide your future research as you head into committee: first, what solutions can help reach out to city planners and influence their work to be inclusive? What barriers, like current infrastructures, hinder this progress, and what can be done to advance our efforts? What are some flaws of current solutions (e.g. guidance systems don’t take into consideration stairs, inclines in streets, and other barriers), and what can be done about them?

I hope this article widens your scope on the desperate need for inclusivity in today’s society, see you all in committee!

Cheers,

Daewon

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