Inclusive Urban Community: What does it mean to be an inclusive city?
Recently, as urban areas are getting more populated as 68% of world’s population are coming to cities by 2050, filled with people from different backgrounds and conditions. Inclusive cities will support urban people by creating a welcoming and intuitive spaces that helps people to fully express themselves. By definition, inclusive cities seek to deliver a barrier-free, accessible, and inclusive city for all its inhabitants, including persons with disabilities (PWDs), elderly, woman, and children.
The main concept behind an inclusive city is universal design - a concept where design of infrastructure needs to cater the needs of everyone. Universal designs embrace diversity and flexibility, accepting the fact that everyone have different needs and constantly changing. Various instances of the implementation of universal designs include inclusive housing and public facility designs that accommodate varying needs of the population, for instance in the form of ramps and curb cuts for easier mobility, as well as the application of visual and auditory technology to cater towards the needs of people with disability. By implementing this concept, cities can foster diversity and inclusivity within the society and improve their quality of life as the population realizes their needs are met.
The universal design concept acts as a tool that aids us to achieve our goals in achieving inclusivity in urban community. There are many core values that are pursued in developing inclusive cities all over the world, but the four core recurring themes are namely celebrating diversity, accessible and equal opportunities, social cohesion, and participatory governance.
Diversity is at the core of urban communities, especially within the discourse of realizing an inclusive city. Cities often become a melting pot for various cultures, religions, languages, ethnicities, and social classes. Inclusive cities can embrace the diversity of these culture by facilitating events or festivals that bridges cross-cultural exchange, for people with different backgrounds to interact meaningfully. Through this interaction, various negative stigma and stereotypes about certain culture or social categories can be broken down, and in turn heightens the appreciation and develops a sense of belonging for the urban communities.
An inclusive city celebrates this diversity by ensuring that all members of the urban community have accessible and equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of their background and identity. Inclusive city can tap on various aspects of urban life in promoting equal opportunities, for instance affordable housing, inclusive and quality education, and accessible public facilities. For instance, by improving the accessibility of public facilities, it gives people with disability an equal opportunities to enjoy and use the public space as other members of the urban community.
In creating inclusive community, social cohesion is the key in ensuring everyone coexists in the city feels appreciated, respected, and empowered to contribute to the society. In line with iGeo 2023’s theme of creative city for an inclusive urban community, creative outlets such as arts and culture festivals can have a positive impact in increasing social cohesion. These events provide space for people to engage, collaborate, and grow appreciation for different forms of expression, creating a sense of pride and a sense of shared identity among the citizens.
Lastly, participatory governance is a crucial component of inclusive urban communities. In participatory governance, all members of the society are given the opportunity to have a say in the decision-making processes in the governance of the city. This opportunity for citizens to be involved commonly take place in community engagement programmes, such as neighbourhood councils, public forums, and participatory budgeting. Inclusive urban communities make sure that the needs and aspirations of all people are taken into consideration by involving a variety of perspectives and empowering marginalised communities in designing the city.
In conclusion, the idea of inclusive cities becomes more and more significant as population and diversity in urban areas continue to rise. One fundamental concept of inclusive cities is universal design, which makes sure that the needs of people are catered to in terms of services and infrastructure. By embracing diversity, providing equal opportunities, fostering social cohesion, and promoting participatory governance, cities can foster a welcoming environment for everyone regardless of their social background and status.