Design for all
Country: Sweden
Population: 11.394 inhabitants (2007)
Web address: http://www.askersund.se/
Town Description: Askersund is a small town located besides the Vättern lake that has established as its aim to become a touristic destination of reference where all, visitors and citizens, can have access to any environment and to all the services they offer.
Award Nomination: For their work in the field of accessibility and design for all in which, departing from an initial diagnose, developed a detailed plan with specific actions that have led them to obtain the 'Flag of Towns and Cities for All' the last couple of years, via a global integration of the design for all perspective in all their projects and activities.
Country: Spain
Population:: 401.270 inhabitants (2009)
Dirección web: http://www.palmademallorca.es/
Town Description: Palma de Mallorca is the capital of the Balearic Islands, and a city that has, for a long time, been promoting the design for all through their program ‘Palma, a City for All’, which includes a participative board integrated by technicians and high-ranking officials from all the town hall departments and representative associations of the society of the town.
Award Nomination: For their commitment with the improvement of people’s quality of life, manifested with the 'Flag of Towns and Cities for All'. This is the third consecutive year that they receive this emblem of the Design for All Foundation, and in this period a very positive evolution of the integration of the values of the design for all at all administration levels has been highlighted. As an example, in 2009, the percentage of the annual investment budged addressed to improvement actions that take into account human diversity was of 12%, quite above the minimum required, 2%. The mayoress of Palma declared: 'It is a social responsibility to make available to all citizens every service in an accessible way as a pillar of the democratization of the city'.
Country: Spain
Population:: 46.978 inhabitants (2009)
Web address: http://www.ayto-santurtzi.net/
Town Description: Santurtzi is a fishing town in Vizcaya that has established as their priority to get the city hall closer to their inhabitants, offering its services in an accessible and easy way to all its citizens.
Award Nomination: For their determined commitment with accessibility and design for all, carrying it out with initiatives such as the passing of a pioneering ordinance at a European level and possible worldwide, that promotes accessibility in dwellings and commercial facilities through the building up of ramps, zebra crossing and lifts, drawn up in collaboration with the Federación Coordinadora de Personas con Discapacidad Física de Vizcaya (Fekoor) and that prevents the expropriation given in some cases. In words of the executive government team: ‘As regards accessibility one has never taken all the steps’ however, undoubtedly, this ordinance is a very important step ahead.
