The relationship between universal design and accessibility

The purpose of this document is to help planners, decision-makers and other stakeholders in the planning of public spaces to make them as functional, aesthetic and user-friendly as possible and to create a uniform, organized image. This guide was published in June 2024 and includes best practices previously implemented in Budapest. 

Guiding principles and recommendations

This planning guide was prepared in accordance with the Budapest Mobility Plan and also takes into account aspects of traffic safety and equal access to services. The Budapest Mobility Plan aims, among other things, to promote sustainable, public transport and to reduce car traffic, so this guide contains proposals for the transformation of public spaces that promote car-free traffic, the design of public transport hubs, and the safe and comfortable traffic of pedestrians and cyclists. 

This guide makes suggestions for the design of public spaces to minimize traffic accidents and conflicts. This includes the creations of safe public spaces for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles, the placement of appropriate traffic signals and signs, and speed limit measures. The guide takes into account the safety and comfort of pedestrians based on the Active and Micromobility Strategy. The appropriate design of sidewalks, the safe placements of pedestrian crossings, rest and shade areas for pedestrians, and green areas all contribute to the safe and comfortable movement of pedestrians. The guide helps to create bicycle-friendly infrastructure by proposing solutions to support cycling in all types of roads, streets and junctions. The guide involves the local community during the planning process, asks for their opinion on traffic safety measures and can contribute to increasing traffic safety awareness.  

The guide recommends accessibility measures to ensure the accessibility of public spaces to people of different ages, people with mobility impairments, the visually impaired, the hearing impaired and those with other disabilities. For example, it recommends properly designed sidewalk islands, pedestrian crossings, ramps, barriers, and manageable traffic signal systems. The guide considers the comfort and safety of public spaces for people. This includes the design of benches, seating, shading, lighting, traffic signals, and other elements that support people’s comfort and safety, as well as access to equipment. The guide requires consideration of disability-specific needs when designing public spaces. This includes appropriate signage and warning signs for all groups with disabilities. The guide supports an inclusive design approach that takes into account the diversity and different needs of people.  

Based on Hungarian and international benchmarks, after analyzing public space regulations and examples, the document presents solutions for various infrastructure elements adapted to local conditions. Based on the latest traffic safety, functional, urbanistic and aesthetic trends and system theory, it presents a new method of allocating public spaces.

The guideline framework is only available in Hungarian.