Inclusion: Mapping indicators, contributions to the definition of new urban policies

Abstract

Reflection on alternative city models, such as smart cities and 15-minute cities, put the focus of sustainability on passive and active mobility infrastructures or pedestrianization. Models have succeeded disconnected from the real people, analyzed and respected in their diversity. Modern, post-modern, industrial and post-industrial cities have reinforced the idea of the standard human being, a fact which generates inaccessibilities and dependencies. According to Hahn (1986) referred to by Gleeson (2001) the built environment is designed for the average human being. Beck Rails (1998) characterises the modern city as an apartheid architecture structured not primarily by racist prejudices but on the security of the 'productive elites'. The discourse around humanist cities is recent in international politics, as Kempin Reuter, T. (2019) advances. The concept of inclusion falls within the contemporary framework of political, social and economic strategies. International treaties challenge territories to respond to issues of 'right to the city' and 'rights in the city' underpinned by the fulfilment of Human Rights (1948). However, this approach to combat discriminatory design has political and instructional limitations (Gleeson, 1999). In this context, the great challenge lies in implementing solutions that address correct and deeper assumptions than the mere application of regulations. The Urban Agenda for Europe proposes participatory methodologies, with a special focus on sustainability, gender equality and inclusion of vulnerable and at-risk groups. This study presents the preliminary results of a mapping of universal accessibility indicators, as a contribution to the definition of new urban policies promoting prosperity, sustainability and socio-territorial cohesion. It is an opportunity to balance interests among stakeholders and create public value.