The European Concept For Accessibility 2003

5 WIDENING EUROPE WITHOUT REPEATING MISTAKES

Historically, the concern for accessibility has been closely related to the level of democracy and the extent of economic growth. Therefore, the involvement of cities in the improvement of accessibility in Europe also depends on these factors.

It is important not to repeat the mistakes made in the past but rather to take a lead from the success of those initiatives which have already taken place.ful recent stories. Then, these cities starting their way to be a City for All have to bear in mind:

• Accessibility is for all citizens and not only for wheelchair users.

• There is a need for a clear and understandable legal framework for accessibility. The 2003 ECA would be an excellent basis for such a framework as its predecessor was in the past and still is in some European countries.

• Citizens have to participate in the decision process and be informed about plans and results.

• Before inventing something, we recommend that the international network be used to find out how a similar situation has been solved in other cities.

• The European Commission should finance transnational co-operation among cities.

• The role of the City for All Plan co-ordinator could be assigned to any municipal employee with a sufficiently high profile and who can demonstrate a sufficient understanding of accessibility.

• It is recommended that cities involve as many social actors as possible in the process.

as a way of illustrating the above, it would seem of interest to briefly review the development of towns and cities, as this development has always been linked to changes in social needs -such as safety, health and respect – and, therefore, to adaptations of the environment so that it meets the needs of people.