Inclusive Climate Adaptation in Urban Public Spaces for People with Disabilities
Author
Term
4. Term
Publication year
2025
Submitted on
2025-12-19
Pages
94
Abstract
The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events as a result of climate change have created an increased need for climate adaptation in urban areas. In Denmark, climate adaptation is more frequently integrated into urban design through nature-based surface solutions. Existing research shows that people with disabilities are not sufficiently included in urban design, while this group is simultaneously particularly vulnerable to climate-related disasters. Despite this, a research gap remains regarding how surface-based climate adaptation solutions address the needs of people with disabilities in planning and design. This research project examines the relationship between climate adaptation and accessibility in urban public spaces, with a focus on wheelchair users and blind/visually impaired people. The project is based in Frederiksberg Municipality and applies a comparative case study of J.O. Krags Park and the SPARK-Park in Aarhus Municipality, which is used as a reference and inspirational case. The analysis is grounded in the Urban Design Tool derived from affordance theory and qualitative interviews. The results show that climate adaptation solutions can both enable and limit accessibility depending on their design. The comparison of the two cases demonstrates that wheelchair users and blind/visually impaired people have different needs in relation to the design of climate adaptation solutions, and that early involvement, a clear prioritisation of accessibility, and conscious design choices are crucial for creating accessible climate adapted urban spaces.
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