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Built environment design can be considered as an influential factor in the quality of life of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This scoping review provides an overview of the current available literature on the relationship between people with ASD and built environment in the specific field of the design of autism-friendly spaces. The literature review allowed the identification of three main factors to be considered when designing for people with ASD—the sensory quality, the intelligibility, and the predictability of the built environment—and, for each of them, a description of the spatial requirements that have been recognized as fundamental according to the specific spatial needs of people with ASD.
Giulia Tola; Valentina Talu; Tanja Congiu; Paul Bain; Jutta Lindert. Built Environment Design and People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18, 3203 .
AMA StyleGiulia Tola, Valentina Talu, Tanja Congiu, Paul Bain, Jutta Lindert. Built Environment Design and People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18 (6):3203.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiulia Tola; Valentina Talu; Tanja Congiu; Paul Bain; Jutta Lindert. 2021. "Built Environment Design and People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A Scoping Review." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 6: 3203.
Daily walking is a recommended physical activity. It can be an all-age suitable, environment-friendly transport option. However, traffic crashes are a widely recognized risk factor, associated with drivers’ errors or a combination of several environmental factors, including physical characteristics of the road space. The aim of this study was to assess the characteristics of built environments on pedestrian safety. Data on road accidents that had occurred between 2005 and 2015, in Alghero, Italy, were retrieved and matched with spatial and functional street qualities. On-street parking was found to increase the risk of pedestrian accidents by about two times, whereas, narrow travel lanes and intersections reduced the incidence of crashes and their public relevance. These field results could inform urban health and spatial planning policies with the final goal of improving health and providing more sustainable models of urban organization.
Tanja Congiu; Giovanni Sotgiu; Paolo Castiglia; Antonio Azara; Andrea Piana; Laura Saderi; Marco Dettori. Built Environment Features and Pedestrian Accidents: An Italian Retrospective Study. Sustainability 2019, 11, 1064 .
AMA StyleTanja Congiu, Giovanni Sotgiu, Paolo Castiglia, Antonio Azara, Andrea Piana, Laura Saderi, Marco Dettori. Built Environment Features and Pedestrian Accidents: An Italian Retrospective Study. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (4):1064.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTanja Congiu; Giovanni Sotgiu; Paolo Castiglia; Antonio Azara; Andrea Piana; Laura Saderi; Marco Dettori. 2019. "Built Environment Features and Pedestrian Accidents: An Italian Retrospective Study." Sustainability 11, no. 4: 1064.
The paper focuses on the relationship between cities and people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Specifically, this research aims to provide practical guidelines on how to design urban policies and urban design projects, such that they improve the capabilities of people with ASD to walk across the city and access relevant public urban spaces and facilities. Although this is a well-defined field of research, this paper should be seen as a contribution to the debate on the understanding of disability as a product of processes of human-environment interaction and as an attempt to address issues of mobility for people with disabilities by taking into account their personal characteristics and capabilities. Current methodological and operational efforts on the role of spatial configuration as a means for improving the autonomy of people with ASD focus almost exclusively on the design of closed, separated, private spaces, devoted only to people with ASD (mainly children). Starting from these considerations, the paper describes a research project aimed at defining an integrated set of urban mobility policies and extra-small urban design projects to provide people with ASD a real opportunity of using their city.
Arnaldo Cecchini; Tanja Congiu; Valentina Talu; Giulia Tola. Mobility Policies and Extra-Small Projects for Improving Mobility of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Sustainability 2018, 10, 3256 .
AMA StyleArnaldo Cecchini, Tanja Congiu, Valentina Talu, Giulia Tola. Mobility Policies and Extra-Small Projects for Improving Mobility of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (9):3256.
Chicago/Turabian StyleArnaldo Cecchini; Tanja Congiu; Valentina Talu; Giulia Tola. 2018. "Mobility Policies and Extra-Small Projects for Improving Mobility of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder." Sustainability 10, no. 9: 3256.
We propose a decision-aiding evaluation procedure (i) for classifying road crossings based on their impact on walkability and, subsequently, (ii) for prioritising street improvements, in urban-rural fringe areas. In the peripheral urban-rural fringes, pedestrian mobility is usually less developed and people generally depend more on cars for their everyday chores. Partly this is inevitable given the structural features and supply of services and activities in such areas, but part is due to a frequent neglect of pedestrian mobility in planning and urban design. Measures to improve this state of affairs can include the design of more pedestrian-friendly environments offering to potential users a greater level of security, comfort and convenience when walking to their designated destinations. Our evaluation procedure combines a walkability assessment methodology with the ELECTRE TRI rating procedure, in order to assist planners and decision makers in designing physical streets to enhance the continuity, safety and quality of pedestrian paths. Improving the walking accessibility in the fringe areas of towns is a way to reduce the physical and perceptual distance which separates these contexts from the rest of the city, thus leading to a progressive integration of urban functions.
Ivan Blecic; Dario Canu; Arnaldo Cecchini; Tanja Congiu; Giovanna Fancello. Walkability and Street Intersections in Rural-Urban Fringes: A Decision Aiding Evaluation Procedure. Sustainability 2017, 9, 883 .
AMA StyleIvan Blecic, Dario Canu, Arnaldo Cecchini, Tanja Congiu, Giovanna Fancello. Walkability and Street Intersections in Rural-Urban Fringes: A Decision Aiding Evaluation Procedure. Sustainability. 2017; 9 (6):883.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIvan Blecic; Dario Canu; Arnaldo Cecchini; Tanja Congiu; Giovanna Fancello. 2017. "Walkability and Street Intersections in Rural-Urban Fringes: A Decision Aiding Evaluation Procedure." Sustainability 9, no. 6: 883.
Since ancient times, pilgrimages have been an important expression of faith because slow-paced traveling, physical effort, and a closer relationship with nature favor introspection. Protecting pilgrimage routes means transforming them into a medium to rediscover and guide landscape development while avoiding possible speculative drifts. Such an approach is particularly important in rural areas often relegated to a marginal role in planning strategies, but frequently traversed by these itineraries. This paper deals with pilgrimage routes in Sardinia (Italy) and their chance to become an integral part of composite territorial infrastructures for triggering regeneration processes in rural areas. First, we introduce the topic with reference to planning literature and various case studies. Then, we select four pilgrimage itineraries that extend through different parts of the island, and compare them using a set of indicators regarding landscape, accessibility, visibility, equipment, planning, and management. A composite index has been developed to classify paths with respect to their potential to become part of a system of greenways, providing facilities and benefits to surrounding areas. The analysis highlights the strengths and weaknesses of local realities. It underlines factors, such as intrinsic characteristics of territories, local management, and decision-making circumstances, which affect trail potentialities to activate greenway projects to trace a new development perspective for rural areas.
Mara Balestrieri; Tanja Congiu. Rediscovering Rural Territories by Means of Religious Route Planning. Sustainability 2017, 9, 363 .
AMA StyleMara Balestrieri, Tanja Congiu. Rediscovering Rural Territories by Means of Religious Route Planning. Sustainability. 2017; 9 (3):363.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMara Balestrieri; Tanja Congiu. 2017. "Rediscovering Rural Territories by Means of Religious Route Planning." Sustainability 9, no. 3: 363.
In a few recent papers we presented a methodology and the related planning and design support tool, Walkability Explorer, for the evaluation of walkability of places which are relevant for people’s capabilities. The method is an attempt to move beyond the known approaches to evaluating walkability based on the analysis of proximity to urban places and on macro urban and socioeconomic factors, because it conceptualises walkability as the effective capability to walk offered by the environment thanks to micro-urban characteristics. It evaluates how the urban environment is conducive to walk by combining three elements: the destinations/opportunities reachable by foot, their walking distance and the quality of the path to these destinations. Following this approach, here we present and discuss an example assessment of walkability for the city of Alghero (Italy).
Ivan Blečić; Arnaldo Cecchini; Tanja Congiu; Francesco Fancello; Giovanna Fancello; Giuseppe A. Trunfio. Walkability Explorer: Application to a Case-Study. Transactions on Petri Nets and Other Models of Concurrency XV 2015, 758 -770.
AMA StyleIvan Blečić, Arnaldo Cecchini, Tanja Congiu, Francesco Fancello, Giovanna Fancello, Giuseppe A. Trunfio. Walkability Explorer: Application to a Case-Study. Transactions on Petri Nets and Other Models of Concurrency XV. 2015; ():758-770.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIvan Blečić; Arnaldo Cecchini; Tanja Congiu; Francesco Fancello; Giovanna Fancello; Giuseppe A. Trunfio. 2015. "Walkability Explorer: Application to a Case-Study." Transactions on Petri Nets and Other Models of Concurrency XV , no. : 758-770.