Proposing and applying a method to measure accessibility in urban parks

The overview of accessibility in parks in Brazil reveals a challenging and still under explored reality. Despite advances in legislation and growing awareness of the importance of universal access, there are obstacles that impact the accessibility of these spaces. Urban parks are examples of places that often lack universal accessibility, making it difficult for people with physical and visual disabilities to engage with nature and society. Therefore, this paper aims to propose a method to measure the level of accessibility in parks and to apply it in a case study in Bicão Park, located in São Carlos-SP (Brazil). The method was developed using accessibility indicator parameters from the Brazilian standards NBR 9050 (2020) and NBR 16537 (2016), the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Standard, and the Manual on Accessible Tourism for All. The indicators were divided into three categories, each with an evaluation scale: Access to the Park, Internal Mobility in the Park, and Usability. Furthermore, 4 ascending levels of accessibility in urban parks were defined: Level D - Not accessible, Level C – Accessible route to the park, Level B – Accessible circulation, and Level A – Accessible use. The application of the method in Bicão Park indicated that the facility is not accessible, requiring reforms and adaptations in the three categories. The results showed that the method helps to identify areas in greatest need of reforms, and it could even be used for assessments at the municipal level of parks in the greatest need of adaptations.