Rolling Rains Report:

The Green/Universal Design Convergence

The National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) has published Creating Sustainable Interiors which provides interior design professionals with an overview of environmentally-friendly design.

The book's author is Penny Bonda,

Bonda suggests that one day, “green design” will be as common as universal design, and codes will direct designers in the right direction. Until then, interior designers must find ways to achieve common-sense environmental solutions in the most practical way possible.

Valencia, Spain Moves Ahead on Plans for Accessible Parks (in Spanish)

Valencia recently published a manual on creating Universally Designed parks and recreational spaces. This week they announced the allocation of 235,000 Euros to implement plans for such parks,

See http://www.panorama-actual.es/noticias/not180732.htm

Katrina, Trailers, and Universal Design

Groups Blast FEMA For Failing The Disabled
http://www.wlox.com/Global/story.asp?S=3972346&nav=6DJI

Disabled Need Accessible Trailers
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/thesunherald/news/local/12887678.htm

Thinking Beyond the Trailer
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/12899933.htm

Technorati Profile

Quality in Tourism and Inclusive Travel

I am very pleased to see Turismo Polibea of Madrid, Spain increase its offerings in English. Spain has long been a strong proponent of Inclusive Tourism but their pioneering efforts have been somewhat overlooked by those who cannot access the information in Spanish.

Most recently at their siteLuis Grünewald of Fundación Turismo para Todos has published a study of quality in inclusive tourism. Much has been written about the nuts & bolts of Universal Design in travel but Grünewald joins a small group of authors such as Peter Rice of Australia in developing the concept of Universal Management.

Read : Quality in Tourism and Inclusive Travel

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At the same time, Mexico has just completed their annual conference on Inclusive Travel in Mazatlan. See (in Spanish):

"Consejo Estatal de Turismo para Todos"

Report from Post-Tsunami Thailand: "A Community Driven Strategic Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development"

In light of the recent devastation in the US due to Hurricane Katrina the excellent work of David Dowall , Professor of City and Regional Planning and Director of the Institute of Urban and Regional Development at the University of California at Berkeley is all the more timely. He has produced the UC Berkeley and Chulalongkorn University’s Strategic Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development in Krabi Province in response to the tsunami in the region.

The team has also produced a documentary video:
http://webcast.un.org/ramgen/specialevents/terriblewave.rm?start='00:00:03'
or at:
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2005/webArticles/tsunami.html

See the report below.

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UC Berkeley and Chulalongkorn University’s Strategic Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development in Krabi Province

Acknowledgements

Many, people, in many ways, helped make this collaborative studio project successful. First, and foremost I want to thank Chote Soponpanich, President of the Thai Public Policy Foundation for coming up with the idea for the project and for supporting it financially. Chancellor Robert Birgeneau quickly agreed with Khun Chote and also provided financial support. At Chulalongkorn University, Faculty of Architecture Dean Associate Professor Lersom Sthapitanonda, Faculty of Political Science Dean Professor Dr. Amara Pongsapich and Assistant Professor Dr. Suwattana Thadaniti Director of the Social Science Research Institute enthuastically supported the project and provided the leadership to get it launched. Faculty of Architecture Associate Dean Dr. Pinraj Khanjanusthiti and Urban and Regional Planning Chair Associate Professor Dr. Daranee Thavinpipatkul provided essential institutional support, including studio space, and computer and logistical support. The co-teachers of the studio included Urban and Regional Planning Assistant Professor Dr. Siriwan Silapacharanan and Political Science Lecturer Pitch Pongsawat. Both of them were critical in shaping to structure and work of the studio, as well as acting as cross-cultural guides and mentors. They helped create the wonderful chemistry between the Chula and Berkeley students. Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Architecture Associate Professor Dr. Banasopit Mekvichai and UC Berkeley Professor Karen Chapple helped launch the studio and participated in the fieldwork activities in Krabi Province. Khun Pissmai Khanobdee, Advisor to the Thai Public Policy Foundation helped keep the project on track, traveling with the team to Krabi Province and backstopping the project in Bangkok. Janet Dawson of UC Berkeley’s Institute of Urban and Regional Development handled logistics in Berkeley as well as helping with the editing of the final report. In addition the project is indebted to scores of people in Krabi Province who took the time to talk with us about tourism issues, including the present Mayor and past Mayor of Krabi, staff of the Provincial Administration Office, business leaders, and citizens. The van drivers, Eak, Piak, Oan and Somchai, were paragons of patience, wisdom and humor. We hope that our work will benefit the people of Krabi by adding to the discussion about the role of tourism in Thailand.

David Dowall
Professor of City and Regional Planning and
Director
Institute of Urban and Regional Development
University of California at Berkeley
Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………………………….1
Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………………………………….2
Table of Exhibits………………………………………………………………………………………………… ?
Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………………………?
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………4
· Our Partnership………………………………………………………………………………………4
· Sustainable Development and Krabi………………………………………………………6
· Tourism Planning in Thailand………………………………………………………………..7
· Structure of the Report………………………………………………………………………….11
Approach/Methodology……………………………………………………………………………………12
· Limitations of the Project……………………………………………………………………..13
· Consultative Strategic Planning……………………………………………………………..15
· Initial Research Activities……………………………………………………………………….18
· Stakeholder Meetings…………………………………………………………………………….18
· Site Visits………………………………………………………………………………………………19
· Topical Groups………………………………………………………………………………………20
· The Model……………………………………………………………………………………………..21
· Comparing Our Process With Conventional Master Planning………………22
· Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………..24
Krabi Province Overview…………………………………………………………………………………….25
· Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………25
· People and Society………………………………………………………………………………..25
· Religion…………………………………………………………………………………………………….26
· Landscape………………………………………………………………………………………………..26
· Economy……………………………………………………………………………………………………28
· Water and Sewage…………………………………………………………………………………..29
· Administration…………………………………………………………………………………………30
Tourism Industry Overview……………………………………………………………………………..31
· Worldwide Tourism……………………………………………………………………………….31
· Tourism in Thailand……………………………………………………………………………32
· Tourism in Krabi………………………………………………………………………………..37
· Ecotourism…………………………………………………………………………………………40
· Health Tourism………………………………………………………………………………….41
· Cultural and Educational Tourism…………………………………………………..42
· Golf Tourism……………………………………………………………………………………42
· Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………42
Krabi’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT)………43
· Strengths………………………………………………………………………………………..43
· Weaknesses………………………………………………………………………………….46
· Opportunities………………………………………………………………………………49
· Threats………………………………………………………………………………………..51
Vision Statement……………………………………………………………………………………55
Tourism Strategies………………………………………………………………………………..56
· Krabi Riviera……………………………………………………………………………….56
· Krabi Highlights…………………………………………………………………………..59
· Krabi Discovery…………………………………………………………………………..62
· Summary…………………………………………………………………………………….65
External Scenarios…………………………………………………………………………………66
· Global Boom…………………………………………………………………………….66
· Global Median………………………………………………………………………….67
· Global Downturn………………………………………………………………………68
· Summary……………………………………………………………………………………68
Analysis of Futures (Strategies x Scenarios)………………………………………….70
· Krabi Riviera x Global Boom…………………………………………………………70
· Krabi Riviera x Global Downturn………………………………………………….73
· Krabi Highlights x Global Median………………………………………………….75
· Krabi Discovery x Global Median……………………………………………………76
· Comparison of Futures………………………………………………………………….?
Issues and options for creating sustainable tourism in Krabi………………..?
· Next Steps………………………………………………………………………………………..?
· Future Research……………………………………………………………………………….?
Appendices……………………………………………………………………………………………….?
· Team Members…………………………………………………………………………………?
· Maps…………………………………………………………………………………………………..?
· Charts and Graphs…………………………………………………………………………………?
· Itinerary…………………………………………………………………………………………………?
· People Interviewed…………………………………………………………………………………..?
References……………………………………………………………………………………………………………?
Introduction
The December 26, 2004 Andaman Tsunami caused widespread damage to six Southern provinces in Thailand. A total of 5,395 persons were killed, 8,459 were injured and 2,993 persons are unaccounted for as of February 22, 2005. Over 6,700 dwelling units were damaged or destroyed and there was extensive damage to public infrastructure and natural resources - coral reefs, beaches, mangrove areas, fish and shrimp farms, freshwater aquifers, and landfills and wastewater systems were affected (see Exhibit 1). The rebuilding recovery process is underway in most affected areas, but the pace is uneven. Tourist areas with casualty-insured facilities are recovering the fastest, while local settlements with little insurance cover and unclear property rights are slow to rebuild.

Exhibit 1. Tsunami damage on Phi Phi Don Island

Source: Krabi Tourism Workshop

In most areas attention is centered on near-term recovery and there is little concern about long-term issues. But the tragedy begs broader questions – what role should tourism play in Southern Thailand? What should be the balance between environmental protection and cultural preservation and the economic benefits of tourism activities?

Our partnership

In February of 2005, the University of California at Berkeley, Chulalongkorn University, and the Thai Public Policy Foundation formed a partnership to provide technical assistance to help shape long-term strategic planning in the Andaman coastal region. The idea for the project came from Chote Soponpanich, President of the Thai Public Policy Foundation who contacted Chancellor Robert Birgeneau of UC Berkeley to inquire how the school could provide some technical assistance for tsunami relief. Building on a previously successful partnership between the Thai Public Policy Foundation, UC Berkeley’s Department of City & Regional Planning and Goldman School of Public Policy, and Chulalongkorn University Social Science Research Institute in 1997; it was decided that the three institutions should work together to form a project. Due to the abundance of short-term humanitarian aid for the tsunami, the team thought that a project focusing on long term strategic planning for tourism would be appropriate given the needs of the impacted tourist areas and the combined expertise of the three partners.

During the week of March 21-25, 2005 the partners visited three provinces - Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga to assess conditions and to define a project. During the visit the team met with local elected officials, planners, and community leaders (see Exhibit 2). Through interviews and site visits to tsunami inundated areas, they assessed local technical capacity, surveyed the scale of international humanitarian assistance activities, and gauged the level of interest of each of the provinces in receiving long-term strategic planning assistance. In Bangkok the partners also met with officials at the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning to learn about ongoing planning activities.

Exhibit 2. Stakeholder Meeting in Krabi (from right to left: Head Tourism Business Association of Krabi, the Mayor of Krabi City, Representative from the Rubber Planter’s Association, and representative from the Krabi Chamber of Commerce).

Source: Krabi Tourism Workshop

Based on the results of the field visits and discussions with Chulalongkorn faculty and the members of the Thai Public Policy Foundation Board of Directors, the partnership agreed to concentrate their efforts on Krabi Province. Through interviews, conversations, and recommendations it was decided that the project concentrate on developing an overall strategic framework for the province, focusing on sustainable tourism development, community development and income generation, and regional level infrastructure needs. In addition the partnership agreed to develop an active community participation process to engage stakeholders and reflect their views in the final product.

Twenty graduate students and six faculty from Chulalongkorn University and the University of California, Berkeley with backgrounds in city planning, architecture, government, and landscape architecture met on May 23, 2005 in Bangkok to form the project team. After a series of briefings, the team traveled to the Krabi province to embark on a four-week research project. From May 26 to June 4, the team met with local government official, business leaders, community groups and tourists. On June 5, the team returned to Bangkok to prepare its strategic plan and presentation. The team hopes that this process can be seen as a model for future cross-cultural and collaborative strategic planning projects.

Sustainable Tourism and Krabi
The rapid expansion of the tourism industry in southern Thailand has provided economic benefits for many and has also affected many facets of daily life. In Krabi Province tourism has the potential to drive the development and growth of the region, creating jobs and generating local government revenues. However, tourism can also generate undesirable side effects -- environmental degradation, social dependency, underdevelopment, and adverse socio-cultural effects, especially for rural populations. The tsunami’s aftermath offers the opportunity to assess the benefits and costs of tourism, and to reframe a tourism strategy for the province that is environmentally sustainable, economic productive, and socially acceptable.

Stakeholder meetings, informal interviews, and extensive fieldwork throughout the province allowed the researchers to collect both qualitative and quantitative data on the existing conditions of the province. Issues surrounding sustainable tourism development, environmental protection, community development, income generation, and regional level infrastructure needs were identified. Back in Bangkok, the team used a strategic planning and scenario assessment method to assess tourism strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and to consider a range of possible strategies for guiding the future.

This strategic plan hopes to lay out the direct and indirect economic, social, and environmental linkages between the distinct sectors and stakeholder groups within the province and show how their activities may affect Krabi province’s future. The rebuilding of the region provides a unique opportunity to develop long-term strategies for guiding future development in the region.
The work of the project did not take place in a vacuum, its activities are one of several tourism planning efforts initiated by various government agencies over the past decade. Below, we summarize this work and compare and contrast it with our activities.

Tourism planning in Thailand

UC Berkeley and Chulalongkorn University’s Strategic Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development in Krabi Province should be viewed in the broader context of past and ongoing tourism efforts. Government policies and plans for tourism development in Krabi fall under three different levels; national, regional and provincial. At the national level, the three main initiatives that discuss tourism in the broader context of national development include the 9th National Economic and Social Development (NESDB) Plan and a series of plans and programs proposed by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. At the provincial level, different plans exist, encouraging cooperation with neighboring provinces (Phuket, Phang Nga, Trang) to form tourism and development “clusters”, as well a tsunami recovery plan, which emphasizes the role of tourism in this process. Local-self governments throughout Krabi province have also developed their own tourism plans and initiatives, of which the most notable are the plans for Lanta Islands and the Municipality of Krabi.

The NESDB, the central planning unit under the Office of the Prime Minister, set forth its ninth five-year plan for the years 2002 through 2006 proposing that tourism should play an important role in economic and social development and that the central government should determine the goal of tourism development to increase country's competitiveness. The plan calls for tourism development to increase employment, distribute income more evenly across communities, follow the principles of sustainable development, and foster more cooperation with neighboring countries (forming a development partnership triangle with Indonesia and Malaysia). The five-year plan calls for a 7-8 percent annual growth in income from foreign tourists and more than 3 percent annual growth from domestic tourism. The plan also calls for a focus on tourism quality, emphasizing niche markets like cultural and eco-tourism, and upgrades in tourist facilities and infrastructure. Though the plan mentions community participation in tourism management as an important factor, it gives prominence to income generation and economic growth.

Like the NESDB, TAT sees tourism as an important instrument for tackling the country’s economic problems, creating jobs for people as well as increasing income for the country. The agency’s main role is to promote tourism at the national scale in accordance with the government’s policy. TAT uses proactive marketing strategies for increasing the new markets as well as the niche markets, both international and domestic, and launches campaigns such as “Amazing Thailand” and “Thais Visit Thailand Year”. The TAT’s plans strongly emphasize niche segments such as eco-tourism as a tool to promote sustainable tourism. In 2001, TAT Governor Pradech Phayakvichien noted that "If carefully managed, tourism can help conserve Thailand’s unique natural and cultural heritage, apart from significantly creating job and export earning.”

The Southern Seaboard Development Project (SSDP), a national initiative aimed at upgrading infrastructure in the southern provinces, improving transportation between the South and Bangkok and other trading partners, and exploring sources of energy has also caused an impact in tourism development in Krabi. The national government has endorsed the plan hoping to duplicate the economic success of the Eastern Seaboard Project, which has become a center for the petrochemical trade since the National Petrochemical Public Company Limited was established there in 1984. It is also seen as a solution to alleviating urban sprawl around Bangkok, which has become a significant problem. The government is hoping that the development of a new economic area in the Southern Seaboard region will lure people out of the congested capital. The SSDP concept involves the establishment of a new gateway to the global trade network using integrated industrial parks and ports on each coast, connected by a “Landbridge” across the Isthmus of Thailand. Krabi is part of the area that will be bridged with the east coast province. Since Thailand’s coasts are abundant in natural resources, including fertile agricultural land, coal reefs, rich deposits of minerals and beautiful beaches and scenery, environmental groups and some in the tourism industry oppose the SSDP, saying that the industrial activity surrounding the project may destroy the Andaman coast's flourishing tourist trade and speed up an already rapid rate of environmental destruction evident throughout Thailand.

Many of the plans at the provincial level emphasize cooperation between Krabi and its neighboring provinces. The Andamanization Plan started in 1994, for example, called for the Phuket, Phannga and Krabi provincial governments to cooperate with key business representatives to promote more investment and development in the region. In the aftermath of the December 2004 tsunami, the Andamanization Plan was a key influence in the establishment of the Andaman Triangle, where Phuket, Phang Nga, and Krabi joined forces in their reconstruction efforts. Additionally, the 2002 Action Plan for Tourism Development of Krabi, Trang, Satul and Pattalung emphasizes the importance of the connection among various tourist destinations in the region. In this plan, Krabi has a key role as the connection between Phuket and other southern provinces.

The Provincial Development Strategic Plan of Krabi also sees tourism as an important driver for its developmental and tsunami reconstruction goals. The plan calls for the maintenance of the growth rates of tourism arrivals and receipts as well as the balance of tourism with other economic activities such as agro-business and the industrial. After the Tsunami devastation, the province proposed a nodal tourism development model, focusing on 5 localities as magnets for different tourism activities and niches (both inland and coastal) and to promote economic development in the province. This model is closely aligned with the Krabi Highlights tourism strategy described in this report.

Two noteworthy local tourism development plans are the Krabi Municipality Development Strategy and Lanta Islands Tourism Development Plan. The former was established by the elected local self-government in the town of Krabi to develop two main strategies for tourism development. First, the municipality maintains the role of infrastructure provision for development including landscape improvements within Krabi City. Second, the municipality develops new tourism activities, emphasizing pre-historic tourist destinations. The former strategy calls for collaboration with business community and local based authorities develop food safety project to keep balance with tourism development on the island. The food safety project emphasizes organic agriculture, less reliance on agricultural products from outside the island, and income generation for local communities. The plan also calls for infrastructure provision for tourism development on Lanta Island, including the proposal for a new marina to develop the eastern part of the island for tourism and as a docking for marine tourism in the Andaman sea.

Our CU-UC plans are different and complementary to the existing plans in several important ways. First, we test our alternative tourism strategies against external scenarios to gage the resiliency. Second, our plan sees communities and residents as the main drivers behind tourism management and planning, not just as economic stakeholders (such as selling crafts, cultural performance and food provision). Third, we do not separate tourism as a sector in and of itself, but see it in the broader context of the whole economy of Krabi Province. Finally, we see tourists as integral stakeholders, not just a source of external demand.

Structure of the report
The overall report is divided into 10 sections. The next three sections describe the approach and method of the project, provide a general overview of Krabi Province, and discusss tourism trends from an international, national, regional and provincial perspective. The next section presents a vision of sustainable tourism for Krabi Province. It is followed by an assessment of Krabi’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (a SWOT analysis). Next the report presents three tourism strategies and evaluates their likely performance using a scenario planning process. The final section of the report summaries the results of the scenario analysis and proposes a range of implementation options for consideration. It also outlines what next steps should be taken to achieve sustainable tourism in Krabi Province.

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zfellows

inclusive travel

universaldesign

Manifest Accessibility

The article "Manifest Accessibility" (reprinted below) appeared on March 7, 2005 at the Travel & Disability section of Suite 101.com. For a complete list of articles see the column to the left or go to the welcome page at http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/travel_with_disabilities

An excerpt from, "TOWARD A GLOBAL HISTORY OF INCLUSIVE TRAVEL"

While the history of accessible travel and tourism is intertwined with that of the disability rights and independent living movements, sharing their triumphs and setbacks, it has its own landmark events, advocacy organizations, heroes and villains. Initially a beneficiary of the struggle for accessible transportation and public facilities and services in North America and Western Europe, tourism that accommodates the needs of travelers with disabilities has by now, in the words of the World Tourism Organization, become a �motor of accessibility� worldwide (1997). This opinion was echoed by UN ESCAP at the Asia-Pacific Conference on Tourism for People with Disabilities (2000):

In view of the changing consumer demand, tourism for all is an increasingly important sales argument in a competitive market. At the same time, it can serve as an effective tool in furthering the human rights of people with disabilities in the destination communities.
The extent to which inclusive travel has become big business has been documented in nationwide surveys by Open Doors Organization (2002) in the United States and K�roul (2001) in Canada. This does not, however, mean that this market is now viewed uniformly through the lens of �economic opportunity.� The medical or charity model of disability still holds sway in whole regions of the globe...

From: "TOWARD A GLOBAL HISTORY OF INCLUSIVE TRAVEL" By Laurel Van Horn and Jos� Isola, the Review of Disability Studies, Spring 2005

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Harry Wolfe advises governments on population trends and transportation systems. As his mother aged before she passed away, they were able to enjoy several trips together. In the process he learned a great deal. Since then, he has developed a professional expertise in airport design for seniors.

Personal experience with the disablement of aging can re-orient one's career and even lead an entire profession in new directions.

Jeanette Cosentino is an Occupational Therapist. She has long been an advocate of ubiquitous good design such as zero-step shower entries (roll-in showers) in homes and hotels. Recently she has become an advocate for inclusion through design on a regional planning scale. Using a line that echoes Dr. Martin Luther King: �I have a dream,� she says, as she introduces herself to local leaders in Santa Cruz, CA. �I have a dream that all those seniors clambering to retire there in Monterey will look across the Bay and choose Santa Cruz.�

Persistent application of practical thinking toward a vision of barrier-free living by even one person can revitalize the economic well-being of an entire community.

Flora Hazelton (not her real name) did the math and liked the bottom line. She calculated the daily cost of staying in a nursing home. Then she calculated the cost of a cabin on a cruise ship. With the extra she saves, she has a bit of pocket change at each port they stop at. She has no complaints at all about the food!

Given choices, some consumers will choose what is best for them � and push the envelope in novel ways.

A case is currently before the Supreme Court. It deals with apparent discrimination against cruise ship passengers with disabilities. Spector et. al vs. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd. recounts a tale that need not have occurred in today's world.

The incident makes several things clear.

Disability accompanies aging, and seniors have two of the three things the cruise industry craves: time and money. Whether they have the third, the desire to cruise, depends on the behavior of those suppliers, agents, and ports-of-call who accept their money but not their needs.

What is also clear, with this �shot across the bow,� is that a struggle has been engaged by a community that, to be blunt as well as historically accurate, simply never gives up.

I will not pretend to have the legal knowledge necessary to judge the case on its legal merits.

I do not have the ability to predict the unintended consequences of demanding that foreign-flagged vessels doing business in the US adhere to the minimal standards of human rights preserved in the Americans with Disabilities Act.

It is not yet clear whether this litigation approach can scrape away years of accumulated prejudice in business practice or whether it is too blunt an instrument to chart a new, inclusive course for the travel and hospitality industry.

However, cruising is popular. It is disproportionately popular among seniors and those with disabilities. Travel decisions made through word-of-mouth recommendations by peers are also disproportionately characteristic of this group of travelers.

Business decisions to embrace discriminatory practice � under �flags of convenience� or otherwise � will not only redirect cruise customers toward land-based vacations employing Universal Design strategies of inclusive destination development but they will coalesce a perfect storm: customer dissatisfaction and the mobilization of senior and disability advocates at just the moment when the traveling Boomer Tsunami is about to crest.

Heed the early warnings.

Informed consumers in a globalized world exhibit travel behavior that is not indifferent to questions of equality and justice. They will not be satisfied with business strategies that allow adherence to outmoded ethical behavior or inadequate design responses to passengers.

Cherished shipbuilding traditions of seaworthiness � based on the hale and hearty young lads of yore � must give way to new formulations that adequately address passenger safety and respect their differences. Service that perpetuates prejudice will end up in consumer mutiny.

As one passenger commented on my last cruise:

"It's only in the movies that the villains aboard ship have the 'peg leg' or a hook prosthesis... We're your loyal customers, Captain. So remember, when you drop anchor on these shores, inclusion is the price of doing business."

Monitoring the Mississippi Redesign Initiative

The possibility exists for some truly remarkable livability and Universal Design advances to be made in southern Mississippi - but they will not occurr automatically.

These items on Biloxi, Mississippi's post-Katrina plans appeared yesterday:

Five minutes for a more accessible rebuilt Biloxi
http://www.raggededgemagazine.com/blogs/edgecentric/index.html

Rebuilding Biloxi with Local Wisdom and Universal Design
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/118643

http://www.prleap.com/pr/16815/>http://www.prleap.com/pr/16815/

If Not Biloxi, Where? If Not Now, When?

The future is in Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi, D'Iberville, Ocean Springs, Gautier, Moss Point and Pascagoula.

Hurricane Katrina will mark the inauguration of Universal Design as a new cornerstone of city and regional planning. "Liveable Communities," "Inclusive Destinations," "Visitable Homes," will find their first large scale concrete manifestation in the United States in these coastal Mississippi towns -- maybe.

The reasons are clear:

An estimated 20 percent of the United States population has a disability
making this the largest minority group in the nation. People with
disabilities have the highest rate of poverty of any minority group in the
United States. Geographically, nearly 40 percent of people reporting a
disability live in the South-twice the percentage of people with
disabilities in the other regions of the country.

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But first proponents of an architectural style that is courting the region must accept the demographic of the southern Mississippi region - nearly 1/2 having some sort of disability and soon to skyrocket as Baby Boomers age and, hopefully, choose this region for retirement.

Universal Design is the archicetural design process created by this very demographic expressly to safeguard their own interests in the construction of both private (Visitability) and public (Universal Design ; Inclusive Destination Development ; Liveable Communities).

Yes, Biloxi could be the center of the future.

Or, it might just settle for being the showcase for New Urbanist nostalgia for exclusionary architecture.

I'm sure the kind folks down the road in New Orleans would be happy to welcome the tourists that stay away in droves if Biloxi capitulates to exclusion by design.

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An estimated 20 percent of the United States population has a disability*
making this the largest minority group in the nation. People with
disabilities have the highest rate of poverty of any minority group in the
United States. Geographically, nearly 40 percent of people reporting a
disability live in the South-twice the percentage of people with
disabilities in the other regions of the country.

"People with disabilities, including older adults, face a vast range of
barriers to safety and survival during disasters that are often overlooked
by rescue and recovery efforts," said Jeanne Argoff, executive director of
Disability Funders Network (DFN). "Our goal is to raise grantmakers'
awareness of not only the importance of including the disability community
in their disaster preparedness, rescue and recovery efforts, but also to
increase their understanding of the disability community's needs following
a crisis."

Among the last to be rescued following Hurricane Katrina, people with
disabilities faced difficulties in making their presence known, resulting
in unnecessary deaths. Those rescued were forced to evacuate-leaving
behind necessities such as life-saving medications, equipment, aids and
service animals. Often, they were sent to places unable and sometimes
unwilling to meet their needs.

The disability community's needs following Katrina and Rita are far
reaching-from assistive technology such as teletypewriters, signaling
devices and hearing/speech amplification devices, to durable medical
products like wheelchairs, walkers, canes and adaptive accessories.
Medical supplies-including oxygen, hospital beds and transfer lifts-are
also in high demand.

Conventional relief groups have not consistently demonstrated that they
understand how to assist disaster survivors with disabilities.

"Disability Funders Network (DFN) is instituting a 'Rapid Response
Fund'-effective October 4, 2005 -to make grants to nonprofit organizations
providing direct relief to people with disabilities in the affected
regions," announced Sylvia Clark, chair of Disability Funders Network and
executive director of NEC Foundation of America. And to best prepare for
future crises, Disability Funders Network (DFN) has an ongoing initiative,
"Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities and Older Adults: What
Grantmakers Need to Know."

Jeanne Argoff
Executive Director
Disability Funders Network
2529 Kirklyn Street
Falls Church, VA 22043
703-560-0099
703-560-1151 (FAX)
NJArgoff@aol.com
http://www.disabilityfunders.org/

Rebuilding Biloxi, Mississippi

New Urbanism is the wrong response to Hurrican Katrina.

Biloxi is being tested with the Tragedy of the Commons. Will it succumb to New Urbanism's superficial charms or will it hold to its own strong tradition of community?

Jim Barksdale, head of the Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal said in his open letter to the community last Sunday, "In the face of this tragedy, we have an unprecedented opportunity to rebuild and renew this region we all love so much. " He adds, "We can have all the best ideas in the world, but if they don't work for your communities, this whole process will be for naught."

Exclusion by design is one idea that won't work for Mississippi communities.

As we noted before in Eleanor Smith's article from Edge-Centric,

New Urbanists, whose ideas are influencing community design all over the country, tout walkable communities, decreasing energy waste from suburban commuters by revitalizing inner cities, and other socially advanced principles. Proponents repeatedly assert that such home-office-store communities, because of their density and proximity to shopping and public transportation, are excellent for older people who can no longer drive.

The contradiction is that, by and large, the homes constructed in these "ideal" communities are neither livable nor visitable by people with mobility impairments-- and not a wise choice for temporarily able-bodied older people, either.
New Urbanists have been the chief designers who, beginning in the 1980's, brought back the "classic" multi-stepped houses with front porches high above grade -- houses that are worse for disabled and older people than the typical house styles of 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's -- this at a time when the aging of the population is a widely reported trend, and younger disabled people are surviving longer than ever before.

Greg Smith, of Ocean Springs, Mississippi offers the right solution.

As is so often the case with true wisdom it is not the photogenic peddler of patented elixr but the still, small - and in this case deeply resonant - voice that points they way out of moral confusion. Greg asks, ""Since everybody is starting from scratch anyway, wouldn't this be a great opportunity to build a community that is accommodating to everyone?"

Who in Biloxi; who in the entire state of Mississippi can find fault with the seven principles of Universal Design as a a foundation for resurrection and renewal?

1. Equitable Use: The design does not disadvantage or stigmatize any group of users.
2. Flexibility in Use: The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities.


3. Simple, Intuitive Use: Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level.


4. Perceptible Information: The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities.


5. Tolerance for Error: The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions.


6. Low Physical Effort: The design can be used efficiently and comfortably, and with a minimum of fatigue.


7. Size and Space for Approach & Use: Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use, regardless of the user's body size, posture, or mobility.

Beware of substitutes. Beware of whitewashed sepulchres offering fancy facades that forever keep and an entire class of people able to view them only from outside.

Further Reading:

The Recovery Process
By ANITA LEE
SUN HERALD
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/12862709.htm

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Other News

MGM MIRAGE Announces Commitment to 'Rebuild and Rebuild Quickly' in Biloxi, Mississippi

- All Employees Will Retain Benefits and Payroll for 90 Days With Commitment to Rehire When Resort Reopens
- Company Establishes Recovery Fund With $1 Million Initial Donation Plus Dollar-For-Dollar Match of All Employee Donations

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 8 /MGM MIRAGE announced today that plans for recovery and rebuilding its Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi, MS are underway. As the assessment process has begun, the company will commit to rebuild the resort, utilize employees in recovery and reconstruction wherever possible and aid impacted employees.
MGM MIRAGE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Terry Lanni and other senior executives toured the Beau Rivage site on Tuesday, evaluating damage with experts, discussing recovery strategies and meeting with impacted employees as they picked up payroll checks and information on benefit adjustments enacted to aid their plight.
"Viewing the devastation is something I will never forget," said Mr. Lanni. "What has happened to this community is unimaginable, but we are committed to our employees and neighbors."

Recovery and Rebuilding
Bobby Baldwin, President and CEO of Mirage Resorts, who also toured the damaged resort on Tuesday said, "We plan to rebuild and rebuild quickly. While we will take the time necessary to carefully assess the situation, we are also dedicated to identifying the fastest way to rebuild and restart the Gulf Coast economy and the lives of our employees and their community."
To date, MGM MIRAGE has invested some $800 million in Beau Rivage. The resort is considered by many the crown jewel of the Gulf Coast gaming industry. With the announced rebuilding program, MGM MIRAGE will have invested more than $1 billion in the Gulf Coast region once the hotel re-opens.
Workers have already cleared most of the mud and debris from Beau Rivage so assessment of the structural integrity and essential systems such as electricity, plumbing and HVAC can begin.
"Massive numbers of man-hours and labor will be required to restore Beau Rivage and the Biloxi area in general," said Mr. Baldwin. "We plan to utilize Beau Rivage employees wherever possible."
Already more than 70 employees have been repositioned to recovery jobs with contractors performing the initial restoration activities. "We currently have 300 such positions available and will continue to fill these with our employees wherever possible," Mr. Baldwin noted.

Employee Assistance
During the height of Hurricane Katrina, MGM MIRAGE positioned staff in four states preparing recovery efforts in anticipation of the storm's passing.
In addition to call centers and a check-in website established last week to answer employee questions, Tuesday saw the opening of the Beau Rivage Recovery Center on the grounds of the Beau Rivage employee parking lot.
Payroll checks are being distributed from the Recovery Center to employees still in the area. Checks are being shipped overnight to those who cannot pick them up in person.
"We've been able to open a Dining Hall that is serving meals to employees and their families. We will continue to increase the quality and capacity of our assistance as local infrastructure permits. We expect to triple the number of meals we can serve in the next few days," said Mr. Baldwin.
A Job Center to match available workers with open positions at other MGM MIRAGE properties will soon be up and running at the same location. "For any employees who wish to relocate, we will absorb as many employees as possible into our Nevada operations," Mr. Baldwin said.
All appropriate remaining items in Beau Rivage retail warehouses, i.e. clothing, will be distributed to employees and their families.

Employment
Beau Rivage employees have remained on payroll with full benefits since the closure of the resort more than a week ago. There has been no interruption in payroll or benefits.

With regard to future employment status, Mr. Lanni announced a commitment to pay employees for 90 days from today.
"We have determined that we will be able to extend payroll and benefits to our 3,400 Beau Rivage employees for an additional 90 days," he said. "This includes all earned vacation, including additional vacation earned during the next 90 days as well as continuation of full health insurance for those 90 days. Finally, we are committed to rehiring all Beau Rivage employees when the resort reopens."
djustments in employee benefits also have been made to aid employees through the disaster. Co-payments on medical, dental and prescription drug claims are being waived. "Out of Network" restrictions on doctors and pharmacies have been lifted so employees can seek medical attention and fill needed prescriptions in whatever community they have found shelter. The company also will continue to provide 401K matching contributions during this period.

Extending efforts beyond employees and into the Biloxi community, MGM MIRAGE has announced all outstanding vendor invoices will be honored in full.

Employee Contributions
MGM MIRAGE announced a $1 million seed donation to the company's employee-funded Voice Foundation. The company also will match, without limit, dollar-for-dollar every employee donation made by its 70,000 member workforce through the end of the year.

These funds will be devoted to Beau Rivage employees and their families to aid in their efforts directed at their long-term recovery needs.
"The gaming industry completely turned around the Gulf Coast economy over the past decade. This region will continue to look to our industry to create economic activity. We plan to uphold our commitment to these communities in this extraordinary time of need," Mr. Lanni said.
Beau Rivage employees are encouraged to call the Beau Rivage Recovery Center at 866-368-7399 to check in and access special payroll and benefit informat.

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Source:
www.eturbonews.com

Building Barriers in Biloxi: A Recipe for the Flight of Tourism

Biloxi flirts with New Urbanism today in a series of charettes reports the Sun Herald in Urban Design Sessions Start Today by David Tortorano. A better approach would be Lex Frieden's "Livable Communiities" initiative.

NCD Letter to President Bush on Disaster Recovery and Livable Communities

Lex Frieden, Chairperson of the National Council on Disability, reminds us of an over-arching planning and design concept for post-disaster reconstruction. With room to accommodate Universal Design, Visitability, and Inclusive Destination Development, NCD's program for Universal Livability is outlined in a letter to president Bush below and in the document, "Livable Communities for Adults with Disabilities."

NCD Letter to President Bush on Disaster Recovery and Livable Communities

September 30, 2005
The President
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

The National Council on Disability (NCD) is encouraged by the Federal
Governments recent statements of long-term commitment to leading recovery
and reconstruction efforts in the Gulf Coast areas affected most by
Hurricane Katrina, as well as those regions in Texas and Louisiana hit by
Hurricane Rita. In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Ritas devastation,
we have an opportunity to improve life for citizens including those with
disabilities. The nation is poised to undertake an unprecedented
reconstruction effort in rebuilding homes, as well as schools, medical
centers, businesses, and other public infrastructure. Estimated costs for
this massive effort are conservatively placed upwards of two hundred
billion dollars.

As this reconstruction effort unfolds over the months and years ahead, we
can ensure universal livability in addition to making structural
improvements for the hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities
and people who are elderly in the Gulf Coast region. We recommend that a
universal livability approach be followed in meeting the needs of people
with disabilities affected by recovery, rebuilding, and resettlement
efforts in all regions affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Universal
livability involves the application of planning and design principles to
create communities where universal access and design are an integral part
of life. A livable community strives to maximize people's independence,
assure safety and security, promote inclusiveness, and provide choice.

In following basic principles at the outset of the recovery, rebuilding,
and resettlement efforts, we can create livability for all citizens. NCD
recently transmitted to you a report entitled Livable Communities for
Adults with Disabilities, which offers a compelling vision for our
nation. NCDs report findings make clear that the elements that make a
community livable for people with disabilities make it a livable place
for all members of the community. Thus, in improving its livability for
one particular group of constituents, the community actually accomplishes
considerably more.

A livable community is one that achieves the following:

1. Provides affordable, appropriate, accessible housing;

2. Ensures accessible, affordable, reliable, safe transportation;

3. Adjusts the physical environment for inclusiveness and
accessibility;

4. Provides work, volunteer, and education opportunities;

5. Ensures access to key health and support services for people with
disabilities; and

6. Encourages participation in civic, cultural, social, and
recreational opportunities.

The focus of Livable Communities is in line with your Administration's
emphasis in the New Freedom Initiative on community integration,
participation, and enhancement of the independence of people with
disabilities at home, at work, and throughout the course of their daily
lives.

NCD recommends that to maximize the potential for success, the following
approaches be used to effect change on behalf of people with disabilities
evacuated and displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita:

1. Consolidate administration and pool funds of multiple programs to
improve ease of access to, and information about, benefits and programs
for consumers;

2. Use tax credits and other incentives to stimulate change in
individual and corporate behavior and encourage investment in livable
community objectives;

3. Provide a waiver or other authority to help communities blend
resources from multiple public funding streams to provide and coordinate
different services; and

4. Require or encourage a private sector match to leverage public
funding and stimulate public-private sector partnerships.

We suggest that by Executive Order the Federal Government should mandate
universal livability and set standards for implementation. Obviously, to
ensure that Gulf Coast reconstruction occurs competently, disability
organizations should be joined with all governmental recovery,
rebuilding, and resettlement (and non-government) operations and be
relied upon for ongoing advice, guidance, and leadership.

NCD joins in the deep concern for all of the citizens who are now
displaced as a result of the hurricane caused disasters, many of whom
have disabilities and who are older and experience a high rate of
disabling conditions. We are pleased to note the improved initial federal
response to Hurricane Rita over the past few days. NCD continues to offer
our support and assistance to you and all agencies of your Administration
in their ongoing work to help people restore and rebuild their lives.

Sincerely,

Lex Frieden, Chairperson
National Council on Disability

Something Revolutionary from China

"Sun City apartments differ from ordinary housing. The universal design approach makes homes suitable regardless of the inhabitant's changing physical condition," writes Liu Jie in an article entitled "Aged Exports."

But it is not only the design of the facility but the design of the business and service model that makes the reciprocal metathesis concept of the Sun City International Aged People Community so revolutionary. Resident seniors are able to move internationally between Sun City apartments located in various countries around the world creating a new model for senior travel.

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The company expects to complete a new apartment complex in Vancouver, Canada, by the middle of next year. It has also signed a letter of intent with Hawaii-based aged care institution Arcadia.

Sun City has also set up branches in Hong Kong and New Zealand, where it plans to launch similar communities. Companies in other foreign countries have expressed interest, including Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Macao.

Earlier we wrote about Hotel Dunas Canteras. Grupo Dunas of the Canary Islands has its work cut out for it if it wants to go head-to-head with China in this emerging market space. What can Beijing Sun City Real Estate Exploration Co Ltd. learn from Ángel Luis Tadeo and Cristóbal del Rosario of the Canary Islands to perfect this innovation in travel for seniors?

Further Reading:

Universal Design in High Style: Hotel Dunas Canteras, Canary Islands
http://www.rollingrains.com/archives/000658.html

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inclusive travel

universal design

disability

European Council of Ministers Guarantee Travel Rights

Ireland Online reports on a positive development for seniors and travelers with disabilities using European Union airports in the article

Airport agreement to end discrimination against disabled:

The agreement on mobility access, which is to be adopted by each member state, prohibits operators from denying reservations or boarding to persons because of their disability or age.

Any person with a disability also has the right to receive assistance free of charge at airports and on board craft.

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Meanwhile, the regulations necessary to make this meaningful for those using service animals are the target of coordinated airline industry campaigns spanning Canada, the US, and the European Union.

Further Reading:

Right to Travel with a Service Animal in the Airline Cabin Threatened
http://www.rollingrains.com/archives/000660.html

Jamaica: Is Universal Design on the Map?
http://www.rollingrains.com/archives/000401.html

"Dog Fight" in the Air: Guide Dogs, Airlines, and TransAtlantic Travel
http://www.rollingrains.com/archives/000362.html/A>

Greg Smith: On a Roll About Post-Katrina Universal Design

Three cheers for Greg Smith!

1. He made it out of the Gulf Coast alive and with his attitude intact before Katrina hit.
   
2. He keeps turning out quality work like On a Roll Radio and On a Roll: Reflections from America's Wheelchair Dude with the Winning Attitude.
3. His melifluous voice resonating through the speakers of my car stereo this evening made me seriously consider doubling my pledge to KQED, the San Francisco Bay Areas' National Public Radio Affiliate as he said what no one else has said yet on national media - rebuild the Gulf Coast using the principles of Universal Design.

To hear the story go to NPR.

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More on Greg Smith's work:

On a Roll at PBS
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/onaroll/greg.html

Greg's Web Site
http://www.thestrengthcoach.com/

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universal design

disability

katrina

Grade the News on Restaurant Review Payola

When planning a trip to a new destination there are many sources of information. Wired on Wheels is one valuable source. Local newspapers are usually another.

But what happens when a newspaper review is tainted? Read an article on payola in restaurant reviews at John McManus' "Grade the News"

http://www.gradethenews.org/2005/payola.htm

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For reviews without payola see Wired on Wheels

Wunago Travel

Loren Worthington, founder of Wunago Travel does a great service to the Inclusive Travel community. Through Wunago he is expanding the market for accessible destinations and arranging travel for wheelchair users. They also have a fun contest. See if you can guess where these photos were taken.

Wunago's mission is to create a marketplace for wheelchair-accessible places to visit and stay around the world. Our goal is to create a place where businesses that take the time and go to the expense of creating environments that are wheelchair friendly, can promote their locations. Equally, we aim to create a market where the consumer with disabilities can find numerous accessible choices to suit their requirements.

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inclusive travel

universal design

disability

Does FEMA Hire Certified Aging in Place Specialists?

What I appreciate about this article