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Vem bygger vi för? : Om tillgänglighet och universell utformning i stadens rum

Müller, Lilian LU (2021)
Abstract
Who are we building for? This is the overarching question in this licentiate thesis.
The thesis aims to shed light on and problematise how people are included or
excluded in the built environment due to if, and how human diversity is expressed
and visible in the plan and construction process. It is based on two studies that deal
with how the intended users of the built environment are categorised in planning
and policy documents, what capacities and abilities they are expected to have, and
how values and goals linked to Universal Design (UD) can be traced in the built
environment.
The first study examined how users of the built environment were described in
documents from the planning phases of future... (More)
Who are we building for? This is the overarching question in this licentiate thesis.
The thesis aims to shed light on and problematise how people are included or
excluded in the built environment due to if, and how human diversity is expressed
and visible in the plan and construction process. It is based on two studies that deal
with how the intended users of the built environment are categorised in planning
and policy documents, what capacities and abilities they are expected to have, and
how values and goals linked to Universal Design (UD) can be traced in the built
environment.
The first study examined how users of the built environment were described in
documents from the planning phases of future construction projects. How they
were categorised, which groups of people were made visible and invisible, and
what requirements are placed on the user at an early stage of the process were
examined in a selection of 15 policies and planning documents from a mediumsized
Swedish municipality. The results showed that categorisations appeared
widely in the documents and that patterns of differences and inequalities were
found throughout the material. Prominent characteristics of expected users were
youth, education, health and success. Particularly notable was how older people
and people with disabilities were absent in the materials. When they were
mentioned, it was primarily in connection with issues related to accessibility or
care. The image of the user that dominated was a young, mobile and highly
educated cyclist. The study also showed how high demands were placed on the
users’ functional abilities, not least in connection with descriptions of
environmental sustainability.
The second study was carried out as a multi-case study of eight selected, recently
completed remodelling and new construction projects in Gothenburg. The purpose
of the study was to highlight the presence and absence of UD by identifying how
the completed building and sites included or excluded users. One goal was also to
identify critical phases during the planning and construction process, where human
diversity risk being lost, by examining what happens to UD-related values and
goals from start to finish of the process. The material included underlying
documents for the eight objects, 265 documents throughout the planning and
construction process, notes and 436 photos from field observations.
The results showed some clear patterns. One of the more surprising results was
how UD goals and values were more prominent in the rebuilding projects than in
the new constructions. The differences between remodellings and new
constructions also showed how UD-related goals and values appear more clearly
in projects that are not primarily market-driven and where the ambitions to create a
place for everyone is visible throughout the entire process. It shows the importance
of diversity thinking being included in thought, action and demands through the
process as a whole. The results from observations of the completed environments
showed that the invisibility of certain users in the planning stage corresponded to a
great extent with the invisibility of these groups in the completed environment.
Common to several of the new construction projects examined, mainly in housing
projects, was how a very high profile was maintained regarding green
sustainability, with innovative and costly elements, while minimum levels of
accessibility related to building regulations were not achieved. These deviations
from the regulations have not been noticed during the process, and several of the
projects have instead been highlighted as exemplary projects, as they have won
prestigious awards in architecture and urban planning. Accessibility solutions
often bore unmistakable signs of ‘adaptation measures’ that have either been
added during the process or abandoned altogether. It gives the impression that it is
housing being built for the narrow norm of ‘normal users’.
Categorisations of users existed at an early stage in the planning process and were
also found in the completed built environment. There seems to be a lack of tools to
take better account of human diversity in the planning process and assert public
interests as accessibility. The ‘normal user’ stereotype is strong, and the changed
planning conditions with a stronger market influence support this image.
The results show how it is built for a particular imagined type of people and
behaviours, while others are excluded. New inequalities arise, and special
solutions are created for some users. The studies confirm what has been
discovered in previous research in several aspects, and show a great need for
increased knowledge, changed attitudes and ways of thinking that put human
diversity in focus. More equal conditions can be achieved if we set the
requirements on the built environment instead of on the user’s functional abilities.
By increasing the demands on the built environment, based on UD’s principles and
goals, conditions can be created to achieve values such as equity, inclusion and
social sustainability. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Vem bygger vi för? är den övergripande frågan i denna licentiatuppsats. Uppsatsen
syftar till att belysa och problematisera hur människor inkluderas eller exkluderas i
den byggda miljön, till följd av om, och hur mänsklig mångfald ges uttryck och
plats i plan och byggprocessen. Den bygger på två delstudier som behandlar hur de
tänkta användarna av den byggda miljön kategoriseras i planhandlingar och
styrdokument, vilka egenskaper och förmågor de förväntas ha, och vilka avtryck
som kan spåras av värden och mål som kan kopplas till Universell Utformning
(UU) i den byggda miljön.
I den första delstudien undersöktes hur användare av den byggda miljön
framställdes under planeringsfasen, inför kommande bygg-... (More)
Vem bygger vi för? är den övergripande frågan i denna licentiatuppsats. Uppsatsen
syftar till att belysa och problematisera hur människor inkluderas eller exkluderas i
den byggda miljön, till följd av om, och hur mänsklig mångfald ges uttryck och
plats i plan och byggprocessen. Den bygger på två delstudier som behandlar hur de
tänkta användarna av den byggda miljön kategoriseras i planhandlingar och
styrdokument, vilka egenskaper och förmågor de förväntas ha, och vilka avtryck
som kan spåras av värden och mål som kan kopplas till Universell Utformning
(UU) i den byggda miljön.
I den första delstudien undersöktes hur användare av den byggda miljön
framställdes under planeringsfasen, inför kommande bygg- och
anläggningsprojekt. Hur de kategoriserades, vilka människor som synliggjordes
och osynliggjordes, och vilka krav som tidigt ställdes på användaren för att kunna
använda den byggda miljön, undersöktes i ett urval av 15 styrdokument och
planhandlingar från en medelstor svensk kommun. Resultaten visade att
kategoriseringar förekom i stor utsträckning i dokumenten, och att mönster av
skillnader och ojämlikheter återfanns i hela materialet. Framträdande egenskaper
hos förväntade användare var ungdom, utbildning, hälsa och framgång. Särskilt
påtagligt var hur äldre personer och personer med funktionsnedsättning var
frånvarande i materialen. När dessa personer nämndes, var det i första hand i
anslutning till frågor som rör tillgänglighet eller omsorg. Den bild av användaren
som dominerade var en ung, mobil och högutbildad cyklist. Delstudien visade
också på hur höga krav ställdes på användarnas funktionsförmågor, inte minst i
samband med beskrivningar om miljömässig hållbarhet.
Den andra delstudien genomfördes som en flerfallstudie av åtta utvalda, nyligen
färdigställda ombyggnads- och nyanläggningsprojekt i Göteborg. Syftet med
studien var att synliggöra närvaron och frånvaron av universell utformning i
undersökta byggnader och platser inkluderade eller exkluderade användare. Ett
mål var också att identifiera kritiska faser och händelseförlopp under plan- och
byggprocessen, där frågor om mänsklig mångfald riskerar att gå förlorade, genom
att undersöka vad som händer med UU-relaterade värden och mål från start till
slutpunkt i plan- och byggprocessen. Materialet innefattade bakomliggande
dokument för de åtta objekten, totalt 265 dokument genom hela plan- och
byggprocessen, samt anteckningar och 436 foton från fältobservationer.
Resultaten visade på några tydliga mönster. Ett av de mer överraskande resultaten
i studien var att UU:s mål och värden var mer framträdande i
ombyggnadsprojekten än i nybyggnadsprojekten. Skillnaderna mellan om- och
nybyggnadsprojekten visade också hur UU-relaterade mål och värden tydligare
framträdde i projekt som inte i första hand är marknadsdrivna, och där
ambitionerna att skapa en plats för alla går att avläsa längs hela processen. Det
visar på vikten av att mångfaldstänkande finns med i tanke, handling och krav
genom processen i sin helhet. Resultaten från observationer av de färdigbyggda
miljöerna visade också att osynliggörandet av vissa användare i planeringsstadiet,
också i hög grad överensstämde med ett osynliggörande av dessa grupper i det
färdigbyggda.
Gemensamt för flera av de undersökta nybyggnadsprojekten, främst i
bostadsprojekten, var hur man hållit en mycket hög profil inom hållbarhetsområdet
med innovativa och kostnadsfördyrande inslag, samtidigt som miniminivåer för
tillgänglighet i byggbestämmelser inte uppnåtts. Dessa avsteg från regelverket har
inte uppmärksammats, utan flera av projekten har istället framhållits som
förebildliga projekt, då de vunnit prestigefyllda priser inom arkitektur och
stadsbyggnad. Tillgänglighetslösningar bar ofta tydliga tecken på
”anpassningsåtgärder” som endera tillkommit under processens gång, eller som
man avstått ifrån helt.
Kategoriseringar av användare fanns på ett tidigt stadium i planprocessen, och
detta fick återverkningar i den byggda miljön. Det tycks saknas redskap för att i
planprocessen bättre kunna ta hänsyn till mänsklig mångfald och att hävda
allmänintressen som tillgänglighet. Schablonbilden av ’normalanvändaren’ är
stark, och förändrade planeringsförutsättningarna med starkare marknadsstyrning
underlättar och stödjer denna bild.
Resultaten visar på hur det byggs för en viss tänkt typ av människor och
beteenden, medan andra exkluderas. Nya ojämlikheter uppstår, och särlösningar
skapas för vissa användare.
Studierna bekräftar vad som upptäckts i tidigare forskning i flera avseenden, och
visar på ett stort behov av ökad kunskap, förändrade attityder och tänkesätt som
sätter mänsklig mångfald i fokus. Mer jämlika förutsättningar kan uppnås om vi
ställer kraven på den byggda miljön, istället för på användarens
funktionsförmågor. Genom att öka kraven på det bebyggda, med utgångspunkt i
UU:s principer och mål, kan förutsättningar skapas för att uppnå värden som
jämlikhet, inkludering och social hållbarhet. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
supervisor
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Universal Design, Accessibility, Urban planning, Human diversity, Social inclusion, Universell utformning, Tillgänglighet, Stadsplanering, Mänsklig mångfald, Inkludering
pages
78 pages
publisher
Lund University
ISBN
978-91-7895-927-3
978-91-7895-928-0
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
19fc30ab-c287-4219-a0da-7a5732138894
date added to LUP
2021-06-14 10:05:59
date last changed
2023-04-26 10:42:48
@misc{19fc30ab-c287-4219-a0da-7a5732138894,
  abstract     = {{Who are we building for? This is the overarching question in this licentiate thesis.<br/>The thesis aims to shed light on and problematise how people are included or<br/>excluded in the built environment due to if, and how human diversity is expressed<br/>and visible in the plan and construction process. It is based on two studies that deal<br/>with how the intended users of the built environment are categorised in planning<br/>and policy documents, what capacities and abilities they are expected to have, and<br/>how values and goals linked to Universal Design (UD) can be traced in the built<br/>environment.<br/>The first study examined how users of the built environment were described in<br/>documents from the planning phases of future construction projects. How they<br/>were categorised, which groups of people were made visible and invisible, and<br/>what requirements are placed on the user at an early stage of the process were<br/>examined in a selection of 15 policies and planning documents from a mediumsized<br/>Swedish municipality. The results showed that categorisations appeared<br/>widely in the documents and that patterns of differences and inequalities were<br/>found throughout the material. Prominent characteristics of expected users were<br/>youth, education, health and success. Particularly notable was how older people<br/>and people with disabilities were absent in the materials. When they were<br/>mentioned, it was primarily in connection with issues related to accessibility or<br/>care. The image of the user that dominated was a young, mobile and highly<br/>educated cyclist. The study also showed how high demands were placed on the<br/>users’ functional abilities, not least in connection with descriptions of<br/>environmental sustainability.<br/>The second study was carried out as a multi-case study of eight selected, recently<br/>completed remodelling and new construction projects in Gothenburg. The purpose<br/>of the study was to highlight the presence and absence of UD by identifying how<br/>the completed building and sites included or excluded users. One goal was also to<br/>identify critical phases during the planning and construction process, where human<br/>diversity risk being lost, by examining what happens to UD-related values and<br/>goals from start to finish of the process. The material included underlying<br/>documents for the eight objects, 265 documents throughout the planning and<br/>construction process, notes and 436 photos from field observations.<br/>The results showed some clear patterns. One of the more surprising results was<br/>how UD goals and values were more prominent in the rebuilding projects than in<br/>the new constructions. The differences between remodellings and new<br/>constructions also showed how UD-related goals and values appear more clearly<br/>in projects that are not primarily market-driven and where the ambitions to create a<br/>place for everyone is visible throughout the entire process. It shows the importance<br/>of diversity thinking being included in thought, action and demands through the<br/>process as a whole. The results from observations of the completed environments<br/>showed that the invisibility of certain users in the planning stage corresponded to a<br/>great extent with the invisibility of these groups in the completed environment.<br/>Common to several of the new construction projects examined, mainly in housing<br/>projects, was how a very high profile was maintained regarding green<br/>sustainability, with innovative and costly elements, while minimum levels of<br/>accessibility related to building regulations were not achieved. These deviations<br/>from the regulations have not been noticed during the process, and several of the<br/>projects have instead been highlighted as exemplary projects, as they have won<br/>prestigious awards in architecture and urban planning. Accessibility solutions<br/>often bore unmistakable signs of ‘adaptation measures’ that have either been<br/>added during the process or abandoned altogether. It gives the impression that it is<br/>housing being built for the narrow norm of ‘normal users’.<br/>Categorisations of users existed at an early stage in the planning process and were<br/>also found in the completed built environment. There seems to be a lack of tools to<br/>take better account of human diversity in the planning process and assert public<br/>interests as accessibility. The ‘normal user’ stereotype is strong, and the changed<br/>planning conditions with a stronger market influence support this image.<br/>The results show how it is built for a particular imagined type of people and<br/>behaviours, while others are excluded. New inequalities arise, and special<br/>solutions are created for some users. The studies confirm what has been<br/>discovered in previous research in several aspects, and show a great need for<br/>increased knowledge, changed attitudes and ways of thinking that put human<br/>diversity in focus. More equal conditions can be achieved if we set the<br/>requirements on the built environment instead of on the user’s functional abilities.<br/>By increasing the demands on the built environment, based on UD’s principles and<br/>goals, conditions can be created to achieve values such as equity, inclusion and<br/>social sustainability.}},
  author       = {{Müller, Lilian}},
  isbn         = {{978-91-7895-927-3}},
  keywords     = {{Universal Design; Accessibility; Urban planning; Human diversity; Social inclusion; Universell utformning; Tillgänglighet; Stadsplanering; Mänsklig mångfald; Inkludering}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  month        = {{06}},
  note         = {{Licentiate Thesis}},
  publisher    = {{Lund University}},
  title        = {{Vem bygger vi för? : Om tillgänglighet och universell utformning i stadens rum}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/99178212/Lilian_M_ller_licentiatuppsats.pdf}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}