When the interstate highway system was built in the 1950s and ’60s, it was hailed as a marvel of transportation technology, connecting cities and suburbs, and stitching the nation together. But it also divided the country. The highways slashed through countless neighborhoods and leveled communities.
Universal Design (UD) is an approach to design that increases the potential for developing a better quality of life for a wide range of individuals. It is a design process that enables and empowers a diverse population by improving human performance, health and wellness, and social participation (Steinfeld and Maisel, 2012). It creates products, systems, and environments to be as usable as possible by as many people as possible regardless of age, ability or situation.
