Designing Cities With Neurodivergence in Mind
Also today: NYC restaurants are still waiting for outdoor dining approval, and can cutting arena subsidies help cover tax cuts?
The sounds of highway car traffic grate on most people trying to focus. They can be especially hard on individuals with autism or other sensory sensitivities, but the challenge is often overlooked as cities and schools are not usually designed by, or for, their neurodivergent residents.
Architects are now developing ways to address the oversight and rethink public space, starting with finding new ways of surveying diverse users, and then designing with the insights they receive. In one New York City project, a design firm took inspiration from a school for students with special needs; in another, a landscape architect captured a group of young adults’ reaction to their environment by giving them instant cameras. Read more from Alexandra Lange today on CityLab: How to Build a Neurodiverse City