Neighborhood Built Environments and Citizen Science
摘要
Neighborhoods shape daily living experiences, facilitate mobility, and social participation of local communities of different demographics, including people with disabilities. Urbanization processes often force contemporary neighborhoods to architect-built environments for local needs; however, rapid transformation of urban townships that restructure neighborhood built environments often inadequately consider the needs of vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities and those of older age. People with physical, sensory, and social barriers tend to limit their access and social inclusion within neighborhoods. This entry highlights the intersection between neighborhood built environments and citizen science among people with disabilities as a feature to restructure urban spaces that are equitable, sustainable, and accessible for all. Built environments remain partially or wholly inaccessible, with barriers such as poorly maintained sidewalks, a lack of tactile signage, as well as inaccessible transit stops. To address these barriers, this entry further conceptualizes citizen science as a transformative approach to neighborhood research and planning. By actively involving people with disabilities as co-producers of knowledge, citizen science can help surface lived experiences, document environmental barriers, and generate community-driven data. Participatory tools and technologies that assist in bridging the gaps between institutional planning and neighborhood realities are discussed. By consolidating the voices and experiences of disabled residents, neighborhoods can be more inclusive, offering practical visionary implications for designing disabled-friendly neighborhoods that not only meet accessibility or utility standards, but also the capacity to foster a sense of belonging.