The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development covers 17 goals, the eleventh of which is "Sustainable Cities and Communities", namely: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. 

Under this major goal, there are ten targets, the seventh of which is "By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities".

● Current Situation

About the World

More and More Functional Facilities Needed Globally

Photo source: itdp-china.org

A prosperous city is an inclusive one that provides spaces for social engagement; recreation, social and economic development of vulnerable groups; and fosters social cohesion through the provision of adequate and well-designed public spaces.

Public spaces are a precondition to improving urban functionality and promoting development of healthy, productive urban ecosystems with better quality of life for residents. Public spaces are broadly associated with benefits such as enhanced safety and social cohesion, higher equality and improved health and well-being. They increase property values, retail activity multiplication, city attractiveness, and contribute to more effective and efficient transport and mobility. 

Text source: un.org

About China

Made Great Progress on Building Barrier Free Environment 

Photo source: eastday.com

Barrier free development is an important symbol to measure the degree of urban civilization. Taking advantage of the good opportunities of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, the Winter Paralympic Games and the World Horticultural Exposition, China has made great progress in building barrier free environment in many cities, especially in areas closely related to the general public, such as rail transit, urban roads, public buildings, renovation of Hutong streets and lanes, and old residential areas.

At the level of laws and regulations, laws, regulations and standard systems for barrier free environment construction have been preliminarily established, and the level of barrier free environment construction for public services has been significantly improved. However, there are still many problems of insufficient and unbalanced development, such as the well-being of vulnerable groups is not strong enough, the awareness of barrier free is not widespread, and the management and maintenance rights and responsibilities of barrier free facilities are not clear enough.

Text source: adi.tsinghua.edu.cn

●  Cases

About the World

Urban Accessibility Details in Tokyo

Photo source: baidu.com

Tokyo in Japan has continuously upgraded its barrier free construction on urban public space in recent years. In many places such as roads, traffic agencies, buildings and parks, people can feel the details and concept of barrier free design.

Tokyo Haneda Airport ranks second, and its barrier free facilities have won many awards. In order to enable people with mobility difficulties to travel independently and conveniently, the designers has paid attention to the design details of barrier free facilities and the consistent experience in use. The barrier free construction in Japan integrated into the urban details and atmosphere. The barrier free elevator design of Asakusi temple is integrated with the temple, which seems to be part of the main hall. Taking the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games as an opportunity, Japan has accelerated the implementation of barrier free facilities throughout the country. The development of manufacturing and science and technology is one of the foundations for Japan to build a "barrier free society". In recent years, Japan has vigorously promoted the concept of "universal design", which is also a part of barrier free design. Such a design concept is not only aimed at vulnerable groups, but also improves the care for all.

Text source: xmwb.com.cn

About China 

City's Tenderness 

Photo source: people.cn

Shenzhen continues to improve public services and build a barrier free, caring, safe, inclusive and pleasant environment. It is a national science and technology innovation city. It is an important condition for them to have more equal opportunities to enter the society by using data and information to build a barrier free platform, realizing information accessibility through science and technology, and allowing vulnerable groups to enjoy the warmth and convenience. 

In 2020, Wechat Bank, Shenzhen Association for Promoting Barrier Free Environment and Shenzhen Association for The Blind jointly held the "Conference on Barrier Free Achievements of Wechat Bank" in Shenzhen. Wechat Bank App provides personalized and humanized financial services for visually impaired users by using technologies such as live light, AI speech synthesis, acceleration sensor, real-time image processing, seismic sensor, and face edge detection.

Text source: sznews.com

●  Background

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Initiated by the United Nations

On 1 January, 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including 169 targets, of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit — officially came into force. Countries will mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.