Accessibility of urban spaces for visually impaired pedestrians

Abstract

An ageing demographic together with the predicted increase in visual impairment of older people calls for a renewed consideration of the accessibility and social inclusivity of urban spaces. This paper synthesises the evidence on this topic and highlights areas for future development relating to the accessibility of urban areas for older, blind and partially sighted pedestrians in the light of recommendations and statements by the World Health Organisation's ‘Age friendly’ cities initiative, Guide Dogs UK and the Department of Transport's shared spaces local transport note.