Cities around the country installed over 1,700 wheelchair ramps in the last five years, thanks in part to one man’s initiative.

A small organization that began in Reykjavík, Iceland has grown into a veritable movement, installing almost 2,000 wheelchair ramps in public spaces all over the country where accessibility was an issue. As Margaret Andersen explains in Fast Company, “In many older cities around the world, accessibility standards are inconsistent, and the push to retrofit historic areas is often delayed or deprioritized in favor of architectural preservation.”
The project, called Ramp Up Iceland, designs ramps individualized to each location that work with existing materials and aesthetics. “In many cases, passersby wouldn’t even notice modifications to the historic buildings because the ramps are intentional design choices built into the urban environment.” The project was initially started and funded by Haraldur “Halli” Thorleifsson, a tech entrepreneur who uses a wheelchair, but has grown into a partnership with local governments and other groups.
A study conducted in the United States, where federal law technically requires accessibility in all public spaces, found that 60 percent of people with a disability were unable to complete a necessary task because they couldn’t access a building, and sidewalks and transit facilities remain inaccessible in many U.S. cities.
FULL STORY: Iceland built 1,756 wheelchair ramps in the past 4 years. Why can’t other countries do that?

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

California Governor Suspends CEQA Reviews for Utilities in Fire Areas
Utility restoration efforts in areas affected by the January wildfires in Los Angeles will be exempt from environmental regulations to speed up the rebuilding of essential infrastructure.

Native American Communities Prepare to Lead on Environmental Stewardship
In the face of federal threats to public lands and conservation efforts, indigenous groups continue to model nature-centered conservation efforts.

Proposed Bill Would Direct Funds to Road Safety
The Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act was spurred by the death of a U.S. diplomat who was killed on her bicycle.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland