Accessibility in Public Open Spaces for People with Disability: A Case of Patan, Nepal: Fid-Bau Portal

Accessibility in Public Open Spaces for People with Disability: A Case of Patan, Nepal

Nakarmi, Sebi / Shrestha, Sudha

Nowadays, there is rising attention on local, national, and international levels, toward accessibility for everybody to partake in social and communal life. Studies have found that when certain groups of people or individuals are excluded from built environment, discrimination takes place and opportunities for social integration are lost. As a result, accessibility in built environments is crucial for a variety of reasons. The objectives of the study are to examine the current status of public open spaces in the urban context of Nepal, through detailed observations of accessible provisions in the study area. The areas selected for empirical study are the historical urban core of Patan Durbar Square and its peripheral open spaces such as Jawalakhel, Pulchowk, and Lagankhel. The research employs access audits to analyze the conformity of the design with the accessibility guidelines provided by the UN Design Manual. The study’s findings suggest that the majority of the public open spaces in Patan do not meet the accessibility requirements to satisfactory extents. The access audit indicates that accessibility is not well-integrated into older public open spaces whereas newer constructions have incorporated accessibility into their designs to some degree. The performance elements fell between 83.72 and 53.49% short of guideline requirements. Based on these findings, the local administration and the community need to work toward providing more public infrastructures which are suitable for people with disabilities. This study could be a road map for managers, planners, architects, and engineers for the design of safe and inclusive public open spaces.