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A policy brief concerning safe and inclusive urban mobility is presented. Safe and inclusive mobility is not currently a universally recognised concept in international human rights instruments and development framework. The relationship of various global legal & policy frameworks with safe and inclusive urban mobility is discussed including:

• The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
• The New Urban Agenda
• The UN Road Safety Decade of Action

Recommendations for improved policies and actions are made:

• Recommendation 1: Recognise safe and inclusive mobility as a transversal issue for realising the Sustainable Development Goals and human rights
• Recommendation 2: Agree strong political and financial commitments to improve the safety of roads with a focus on vulnerable road users
• Recommendation 3: Provide safe and accessible urban mobility infrastructures applying universal design approach, all along the mobility chain
• Recommendation 4: Enhance participatory and evidence-based policy-making for a better governance of road safety, mobility management and urban planning

For teenagers in developing countries, there is no greater threat to life than road traffic crashes: road crashes are the leading cause of preventable death of youth aged 15 to 29 years, and the second cause for those aged 5 to 14 years.(6) The risks are even higher for children with disabilities, who are also more exposed to non-fatal injuries from road crashes.

In this thematic brief, the importance of inclusive urban planning is emphasised. Urban mobility and road safety challenges discussed include: safe crossing points over roads and collective transport (particularly buses). 

Two case studies are provided: Safer access to school for disabled students in Kenya; and School access and pedestrian safety improvements in Democratic Republic of Congo

Recommendations for improvements in policies and actions are given under the headings:

• 1. Strengthening the policy and financial framework for safe and inclusive mobility, based on evidence and through participative processes
• 2. Removing the barriers to safe and accessible mobility, focusing on: the built environment; transport and vehicles; people

Disabled people are disproportionately affected by disasters owing to mobility difficulties in evacuation, lack of access to information or services and discrimination. When disasters occur, constraining external factors, such as unsafe roads and lack of accessible pedestrian and transport routes, create additional difficulties for coping with the situation. Developing cities vulnerable to disasters also are likely to have a greater proportion of the population with a disability, due to past injuries.

In this thematic brief, the importance of inclusive urban planning is emphasised. Urban mobility challenges relating to disasters discussed include: inaccessible disaster shelters, inaccessible means of evacuation and lack of information.

Case histories provided are: Building back better in Haiti; a focus on inclusive access and mobility; and Improving universal accessibility in Kathmandu, Nepal

Recommendations for improvements in policies and actions are given under the headings: 

1. Strengthening the policy and financial framework for safe and inclusive mobility action, based on evidence and through participative processes

2. Removing the barriers to safe and accessible mobility, focusing on: the built environment; transport and vehicles; people

This review links to the need for inclusion of all people, in particular stressing the importance of those who are disabled, people in all age groups, and women. It is guided by the consideration of how the concept of ‘leave no one behind’ can be incorporated into infrastructure planning, development, implementation and evaluation. The report focuses on transport, electricity and water infrastructure.

The rate of road accidents is increasing globally and the resulting deaths, injuries, physical disabilities and psychological distress are creating a tremendous negative economic impact on victims, their families and society in general, especially in low and middle income countries. Common impairments and activity limitations from road traffic injuries are musculo-skeletal injuries, spinal cord injuries (SCI), traumatic brain injury and psychological distress and depression. Different examples of rehabilitation across the care cycle are provided. A case study of brain injury in Laos is provided. 

This Inclusive Cities Tool Kit presents an integrated approach to inclusive urban development (IUD).

This tool kit presents concepts and strategies for addressing technical and institutional challenges related to shelter, infrastructure, transport, climate change, and disaster risk management. Chapter 1 presents an IUD framework that sets out the underlying principles of accessibility, affordability, resilience, and sustainability for an integrated approach to IUD investments. It outlines the process for undertaking an inclusive urban assessment. Chapter 2 sets out a toolbox that includes assessment methodologies, implementation tool kits, and other resources for each step in the process. The tools are designed to mesh across three phases of the development of an inclusive urban redevelopment project—the initial data gathering, the assessment and options development, and the prioritization of preferred options.

This tool kit has been prepared for ADB staff and other stakeholders to engage in IUD programming and implementation as an integral component of the ADB lending programs in DMCs. It is a guide to assist staff in supporting city governments in DMCs to prepare and implement IUD plans. The tool kit is intended as a practical guide for mayors, local government officials, sector specialists, planners, and other decision makers involved in project programming and design of urban infrastructure projects in cities

CBM has joined the Global Network on Disability Inclusive and Accessible Urban Development (DIAUD) consisting of multi-stakeholder partners working on both disability and urban development issues, advocating for the inclusion of women, men, girls and boys with disabilities in the New Urban Agenda and the UN Habitat III process. 

On behalf of DIAUD network, CBM and World Enabled have produced an innovative booklet on the Inclusion Imperative: Towards Disability Inclusive and Accessible Urban Development.

The booklet is filled with examples of disability-inclusive urban development, features the voices of people with disabilities claiming their rights as well as key recommendations to help ensure that cities respond to the needs of everyone, including persons with disabilities. The publication also contains a foreword by Catalina Devandas Aguilar, the UN Special Rapporteur on Disability.

The publication will be launched on October 16th, during the high-level forum on disability-inclusive urban development and further disseminated during the conference including stakeholder’s roundtable.
 

About 6.25 billion people, 15 per cent of them persons with disabilities, are expected to be living in urban centres by 2050. Urbanisation has the potential to be an engineer for achieving sustainable and inclusive development for all. The current lack of environmental accessibility faced by people with disabilities, in particular in many cities in the world, presents a major challenge. As the international community prepares for the Third Global Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), which will take place in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2016, it is an apt and a strategic opportunity to promote an accessible and inclusive Urban Agenda.

This report is a compendium of promising initiatives and good practices that have emerged in recent yeas successfully promoting accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities, their rights, aspiration and contributions in the contexts of urban development. It countains findings and recommendations which were adopted at a UN expert group meeting, that may be helpful in informing the ongoing Habitat III discourses, the development of the New Urban Agenda as well as in furthering accessible and inclusive urban development 

Barrier-free access refers to universal access for all children to inclusive schools. While there are many barriers that need to be addressed — the curriculum, and teaching-learning practices and materials, among others — to make a school inclusive, this guidebook speci fi cally focuses on infrastructural barriers and provides practical, cost-effective and technical solutions for making the physical environment of a school safe, accessible and friendly for children with disabilities.

During accessibility audits conducted in 500 schools across 16 states in India in 2012-2014, it was found that due to lack of expertise and understanding of access standards amongst construction personnel and school administration, school infrastructure was often barrier- fi lled and unsafe for children with disabilities. This hampered their access to and use of classrooms, playgrounds, libraries, drinking water units, toilets, mid-day meal areas, and other areas.3 This guidebook has been prepared to:

i. Provide guidance on making the school infrastructure accessible for children with disabilities.

ii. Assess school facilities and infrastructure and provide design solutions based on national accessibility standards.