Date of Award:

12-2025

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA)

Department:

Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning

Committee Chair(s)

Keith M. Christensen

Committee

Keith M. Christensen

Committee

Carlos V. Licon

Committee

Jefferson C. Sheen

Abstract

As the world enters a new era of urban living, it is important to develop cities that allow residents of all ages and abilities to fully participate in society. Integration of people with disabilities into daily community living involves looking beyond site- or product-specific features to community- and city-wide systems. Some tools have been developed to begin evaluating cities’ levels of inclusive social participation and to provide recommendations for city planning professionals. However, the tools that have been developed often are too complex for practical use or rely on data that varies in obtainability. Therefore, the purpose of this series of papers is to develop a set of measures, based on current disability and planning literature, that can be used to inform city planning professionals and direct priorities for fuller social participation.

This thesis project includes a thorough review of the literature to identify elements of the built environment that support social participation. Building on the literature review, the second part of the study includes a case study on a small regional city in the Intermountain West. This case study will provide context for developing measures to evaluate the presence and quality of built environment elements that support social participation. The results will inform city officials and planning professionals of the areas in which they can focus their efforts and funding in city development. Discussion of the measures—including their practicality, potential accuracy, and reflections on the process—will provide insight into how they can be refined for use in other contexts.

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