Master planning for the Tailem Bend main street is in its early stages but one thing is certain – Coorong District Council wants the precinct to be accessible for people of all abilities.
There is an increasing focus on applying Universal Design to buildings and spaces. Afterall, 1 in 3 Australians live with disability or are close to some who is. And the prevalence of disability increases with age.
Universal Design is anticipated in the PDI Act, in the South Australian Access and Inclusion Plans and the similar plans of many councils. At the same time, there is little documented guidance on how to do Universal Design leaving many councils in the dark.
Coorong District Council shed light on the subject by running a day of Universal Design training for staff. This training was led by experienced social planners and landscape architects from URPS, WAX and Able Access Design. The concept of Universal Design was demystified and its importance explained. Real-word examples and interactive planning activities using local a case study were key. The training was topped off by a site tour and Q&A around the Tailem Bend main street precinct with an access consultant.
Myles Somers, Director Community and Corporate Services, said of the training:
“People were genuinely enthused, engaged, stretched their minds and learned new information. The site tour was really eye opening. We gained very useful information to feed into Tailem Bend and other town streetscape master plans”.
We look forward to seeing the Tailem Bend Streetscape Master Plan evolve in a way that enables people of all abilities to access shops, services, and public places.
