Look at the worst, most barrier-choked places for wheelchair users in your community, and you’ll likely find that they have something in common: they were all planned by 100-percent able-bodied teams, who don’t understand the real needs of people with mobility challenges.

It’s not just about the disability realm. Planning history is littered with top-down, failed projects, where the majority imposed what it thought was best for the minority. And even if that majority was well-meaning, they got it wrong. 

That’s why experts like Charles T. Brown argue that planning teams must be led by firms that understand the unique and nuanced requirements of placemaking for all — or at least include key sub-consultants on their teams. And in an era when the very concepts of “diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusion” are under fire in Washington and beyond, they say diverse hiring is even more important.

Read more at the link below.

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