Di Maria De Paoli
In 2020 the Swedish city of Jonkoping received the Access City Award, a prize awarded to the most accessible city of Europe by the European Commission and by the European Disability Forum. The city of Jonkoping has implemented important urban changes for the removal of architectural barriers. Companies and associations in support of people with disabilities have collaborated by turning the sanitary emergency of COVID into an opportunity to rethink the city in terms of accessibility and inclusiveness. The only Italian city to which this prize was awarded was Milan, in 2016. The EXPO-2015 imposed initiatives aimed at making the city and the exhibition itself open to visitors with reduced motor and sensory capacities in autonomy and safety, adapting – according to the parameters established by law – routes, connections, public transport means, services, etc.
In Italy ANMIL (the national association of disabled workers) publishes an annual ranking of the most accessible cities. There is a need for a synergistic action, on the Swedish model, which involves administrations, private business and associations. The challenge must go beyond the removal of architectural barriers to overcome environmental constraints that prevent the full enjoyment of the vast artistic and landscape heritage that characterizes the Italian territory. In this regard, the project “Pompei
per tutti” is significant and it’s a model to be followed to improve accessibility to the numerous archeological sites in Italy.
