National Institute Of Urban Affairs (NIUA) With The Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee holds Public Consultation Meetings

National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, and support from the Ministry of Housing and Urban affairs have successfully conducted public consultation meetings for revisions in guidelines and standards areas of universal accessibility in the built environment in India. The consultation meetings were in the backdrop of the 'Building Accessible Safe Inclusive Indian Cities' (BASIIC) program(supported by FCDO, UK government).

The meetings were held with persons with disabilities, the elderly and their caregivers; and women, children (With or without disabilities) and their caregivers on a virtual platform. The broad objectives of the consultation were to 

1. Understand the diverse needs of identified groups in different facets of independent life;
2. Understand the problems faced by them in the everyday life due to the inaccessibility of urban infrastructure and services 
3. Gain insights from their experience and make suggestions for improvement in the guidelines. 

The discussion was divided into housing/residential, healthcare, mobility, education, employment and recreation five critical components of urban life with an overarching theme of assistive/smart technologies. The consultations had more than 40 participants from across the country on each day sharing their views and experiences.

Major concerns discussed in these consultations included:  age-appropriate features in housing/apartment design; housing/ facilities for caregivers, the safety of personal information, the significance of mixed land-use development, anthropometrical mismatch in housing, maintenance of streets and public spaces, absence of ramps and use of slipper materials in flooring etc. Suggestions like: Planning age-friendly components in housing, improvement of information system in public transport, resting areas at regular intervals, senior citizen corners in neighbourhood parks, use of appropriate materials and careful design of play areas for children, improving access in market spaces, accessibility auditing frameworks for educational institutions, accessible family toilet and public buildings and easy communication systems, proper signage and facilities for child and nursing mothers in health care institutions were discussed. Improper Implementation, lack of sensitivity in society/practitioners and need for stringent monitoring mechanisms were identified as overlapping concerns in both the consultations.

This consultation was led byUtsavChoudhary and Kanika Bansal from NIUA along with Dr Gaurav Raheja, Professor from Dept. of Architecture & Planning, IIT Roorkee.