Barrier free environment: a case study to evaluate Misr railway station for accessibility

摘要

Egypt is undergoing a series of rapid changes at social, economic and environmental levels as a result of the implementation of a new legislation and constitutional amendments that promise to guarantee the rights of citizens to live in a safe environment. As a result, one of the main population sectors affected are the elderly and people with disabilities. As Egypt undergoes a series of reforms on many levels, expected changes in the current legislation governing physical planning and urban design approached will soon take effect. Among these changes is the creation of a barrier free environment incorporating social and economic dimensions. The aim of the paper is to present the challenges facing people with disabilities in the city of Alexandria focusing on mass transit stations, to evaluate the current design standards and policies, to analyze best practices around the world in similar cities and suggests a better means of integration with the society. The paper method utilized quantitative and qualitative approaches and was applied accordingly to achieve the objectives of the study. A number of similar case studies were analyzed in depth and lists of applicable design criteria were generated. The quantitative analysis includes measurement and evaluation of the adherence of such popular locations to internationally known universal design checklist, while the qualitative tools justified and interpreted the collected data with the support of structured interviews and policy analysis. The paper evaluates the main train station in the city "Misr railway station" as a case study which is located in the center of the city and documents the accessibility of the station in its current condition and the applicability of new solutions. The paper concludes with conclusions and recommendations that should be implemented in the current policies governing the city and for use by architects and urban designers in the future.