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How Can the Design of Civic Architecture Be More Inclusive of People with Psychosocial Disabilities? A Study Using a Quasi-Systematic Review Method

Part 1 Dissertation 2022
Martha Robinson
University of Lincoln Lincoln | UK
This study implemented a systematic literature review to serve an important, practical purpose. This purpose was to formulate universal principles that could be applied to the design of civic buildings and public spaces to enhance the wellbeing and social inclusion of people whose disabilities are not of the body (physical/sensory) but relate to cognition, mental health and social relationships.

The systematic literature review employed a rigorous process to the selection of twenty-four studies of interest from a first sample of over nine hundred.

The study found that, without exception, concepts and approaches to UD for people with psychosocial disabilities, were phenomenological in nature. Because they emphasised the wellbeing of the whole person (physical, mental, social, spiritual, developmental), and identified in the design of spaces, the potential for therapeutic effects. In this context, seven design considerations are proposed in opposition to the current “tick-list” approach to inclusive practice. The study concludes with a call for architects to adopt a collaborative mindset that prioritises disabled users and places these communities at the centre of the design process. It also demands from the profession, a disposition toward designs centred on human thriving.

Martha Robinson

Tutor(s)
Karolina Szynalska Mcaleavey
2022
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