Designing Signals of Inclusion : A Framework for Fostering Shared Neighborhoods

Focusing on urban design and planning at the neighborhood scale, this book explores “signals of inclusion" that convey welcome and belonging in shared urban environments. The book reveals how signals of inclusion operate through sensory mechanisms and processes, and how they counteract exclusionary or hostile design practices and policies.

In an age of increased polarization and fragmentation, improving the prospects for sharing neighborhoods matters more than ever. Focusing on urban design and planning at the neighborhood scale, this collaborative work explores “signals of inclusion,” the sensory gestures, actions, and spatial elements that convey welcome and belonging in shared urban environments. The book reveals how signals of inclusion operate through multiple sensory mechanisms and processes, and how these can counteract exclusionary or hostile urban design practices and policies. The chapters in Part 1 explore a range of inclusive signals in case studies from around the world, including cities in Colombia, Italy, the U.K., U.S., China, Israel, and Canada, offering a contextual presentation of a place, clarifying each author’s approach to the term signals of inclusion, and identifying how this idea is manifest in the neighborhood. Part 2 draws on the case studies to broaden the concept of signals of inclusion beyond specific locations and presents a toolkit for action in implementing an inclusive design agenda. Illustrated with over 100 color images, this book will be of interest to students and scholars in the fields of urban design, urban planning, community development, and human geography, as well as planners, policymakers, and urban design professionals seeking to create more inclusive neighborhoods. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 International license.