Accessibility & User Needs in Transport for Sustainable Urban Environments - AUNT-SUE
Lead Research Organisation:
London Metropolitan University
Department Name: Cities Institute
Abstract
The proposal integrates the expertise of the research centres and project partners in transport policies and planning, design, operations and evaluation. The UK government, European Commission and other agencies rightly emphasise the importance of socially inclusive and sustainable interventions. As yet, however, there is a dearth of comprehensive 'toolkits' and resources to support those who are working to reduce social exclusion in journey environments. The shared vision is to produce rigorous methodologies for sustainable policies and practices that will deliver effective socially inclusive design and operation in transport and the public realm from macro down to micro level. Three Core Projects will develop decision-support tools that will establish benchmarks and incorporate inclusion into policies, and support the design and operation of journey environments and transport facilities. A real-world but controlled 'Testbed' facility will allow these to be piloted in the context of the policy intentions and constraints that shape implementation. Solutions will then be tested and transferred to other Case Study areas and sites. Phase 2 of AUNT-SUE will build on the suite of tools developed in Phase I and apply these to intensive case studies of transport interchanges, nodes and development areas. This will both develop and test techniques to design accessible journey environments (routes and facilities) and transport provision and planning, and consult on these with people who have been identified as socially excluded from travel. Three inter-linked research modules will be validated through integrated case studies outlined below, utilising a GIS-based platform supported by CAD, relational databases and both quantitative and qualitative social surveys.
Organisations
- London Metropolitan University (Lead Research Organisation)
- Greater Manchester Combined Authority (Project Partner)
- Bristol City Council (Project Partner)
- BRIGHTON AND HOVE CITY COUNCIL (Project Partner)
- Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Project Partner)
- Hertfordshire County Council (Project Partner)
- Transport for London (Project Partner)
- Docklands Light Railway (Project Partner)
- Tower Hamlets Council (Project Partner)
- London Borough of Camden (Project Partner)
- CCD Design & Ergonomics (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- British Transport Police (Project Partner)
- London TravelWatch (Project Partner)
- South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (Project Partner)
- British Urban Regeneration Association (Project Partner)
Publications
Evans G
(2009)
Accessibility, Urban Design and the Whole Journey Environment
in Built Environment
Titheridge H
(2009)
Assessing the extent of transport social exclusion among the elderly
in Journal of Transport and Land Use
Evans G
(2015)
Accessibility and user needs: pedestrian mobility and urban design in the UK
in Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Municipal Engineer
Roger Mackett (Author)
(2007)
Overcoming the barriers to walking for people who are socially excluded
Helena Titheridge (Author)
(2007)
Assessing the extent of transport social exclusion among the elderly
Roger Mackett (Speaker)
(2007)
Implementing the policy analysis tool
N Azmin-Fouladi
(2008)
Accessibility and user needs in transport: street audit toolkit.
Evans, G.L.
(2014)
Accessibility, Urban Design and the Social Production of Space
Roger Mackett (Author)
(2007)
Conflicts between macro level policy and micro level implementation - the case of social exclusion
Description | see Final Report submitted to EPSRC in 2010. A key emergent 'inclusion' theme emerging early on in Phase 1 was that of fear of crime and community safety as one of the prime barriers to pedestrian and transport access, amongst older, younger and particular vulnerable groups (e.g. ethnic minorities). Research into accessibility and mobility benchmarks found that official standards (DfT) did not reflect user needs and did not reflect the journey types (e.g. everyday shopping) undertaken particularly by older and less mobile people. The Loughborough team's HADRIAN-SAMMIE CAD-based design model was developed in response to the fact that (product and industrial) design standards effectively designed out a large proportion of the population and specific ability-restricted groups in particular. AUNT-SUE provided the opportunity to widen and test this lab-based design model into the transport and mobility sphere, and to extend this into travel information planning and transport facility design. A key advance made by AUNT-SUE has been the further development, validation and knowledge transfer of individual research approaches and methods and the development of inter-disciplinary methods across the research teams and integration of research tools and toolkits arising. Key methods and strands included 1. Policy & Benchmarks, 2. Design and Operation and 3. Evaluation of 1 and 2. |
Exploitation Route | In accessibility and transport planning, urban design, community and user consultation and engagement. Policy, planning, design and evaluation stages of urban mobility and pedestrian systems. This includes transport and local authorities in London/London boroughs, Herts County Council and regional Passenger Transport Authorities. AUNT-SUE findings and design tools have also be taken up Canadian cities and health/ageing agencies |
Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Environment Leisure Activities including Sports Recreation and Tourism Government Democracy and Justice Transport |
URL | http://www.aunt-sue.info |
Description | Research findings used in transport and street accessibility design and planning including in capital funding proposals and assessment. Further evidence of impact and take-up of research outputs include the following examples: • AUNT-SUE GIS-based urban environment and audit tool incorporated into Transport for London's (TfL) Guidance for Submissions of Local Accessibility Schemes, prepared for all London Boroughs and sub-regional partnerships (March 2007). This was the requisite guidance for all local authorities and others groups in their bids to TfL for accessibility improvement capital funding • i-Journey and related stresstimator tool tested in TfL's widely-acclaimed online Journey Planner • AUNT-SUE research findings and tools included in successive Parliamentary annual reports Research and development work relating to assistive technology, 2008-9 and 2007-8, Department of Health |
First Year Of Impact | 2007 |
Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Environment,Transport |
Impact Types | Cultural Societal Policy & public services |
Title | AUNT-SUE toolkit |
Description | Suite of online tools to improve accessibility design, consultation, transport planning |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2009 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Take up by transport and planning authorities in London, Herts., Canadian cities, health and other agencies |
URL | http://www.aunt-sue.info |
Description | Events |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Events - attendances (LAB/LFA - 2006 German Gymnasium; Hoopers Gallery Clerkenwell, St Pancras station, 2008 - Building Centre) over 25,000 (2006) / 75,000 (2008) visitors respectively attended these biennales, with research and community workshops organised with local authority chief planners, councillors and ministers/shadow ministers. A follow-on exhibition and conference North Country held at URBIS Centre/Manchester 2008, OS Terra Futures, 2008, INCLUDE Inclusive Design International Conference 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2013 Follow up enquiries for information, website hits/downloads, one to one discussions on project and research findings |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2006,2008,2009,2010 |
Description | Number of newsletters up to Jan 2010: 9 (bi-annually since Dec 05) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Website 'hits', enquiries from users, opportunities for further testing and fieldwork, presentations and policy exchange see above |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | Pre-2006,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010 |
Description | Presentation to the East of England Accessibility Group |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | This presentation to local authority planning officers described the development of AMELIA (A Methodology to Enhance Life by Increasing Accessibility) as part of the AUNT SUE project. Take up of tools developed and disseminated via AUNT-SUE website |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2007 |