Inclusion, Inc.

CHAPTER 13Blueprints for Inclusive Workspaces

In the early 1990s, Vienna was undergoing a period of rapid growth. The government had set a target of building 10,000 new apartments each year, the Iron Curtain had been lifted, and urban planners were competing to redesign the city. Eva Kail, a district planner in the city's strategic planning unit, knew this was a pivotal moment.¹

Kail was noting the ways that the past had shaped how residents and visitors were experiencing the city 50 years later. Like most post–WWII European cities, Vienna had been designed by male planners for men like themselves who commuted between home and work by car or public transport. There was little to no accounting for other groups.

In 1991, Kail documented the legacy of this design by following eight people—among them a young girl, a wheelchair user, an urban mother, and an active retiree—and photographing their daily circulation. The photos told stories of Vienna residents who constantly adjusted to a city not meant for them. Benches were too few and far between for elderly citizens to enjoy a walk. Sidewalks and doorways into transit stations often weren't wide enough for a mother with a pram. Those carrying groceries had few covered places to rest with bags in the rain, and few streets had enough lighting for women to feel safe walking them at night.

Kail noted that most design flaws negatively impacted pedestrians, but those making trips by car rarely had a complaint. A follow-up survey led ...