The city of New Orleans' compliance with Americans With Disabilities Act compliance is too little, too late, according to the plaintiffs in a new lawsuit.
Anthony McAuley reports that three men with disabilities have sued the city of New Orleans for failing to keep pace with planned work to improve sidewalks and curb cuts in accordance with Americans with Disabilities Act (AD) requirements.
"In their lawsuit, the three men list hundreds of curb at intersections near their homes that do not have compliant curb ramps. They are asking that the city commit to a timetable to make the curbs compliant with the legislation and an unspecified amount of monetary damages," reports McAuley.
According to the lawsuit, the New Orleans Department of Public Works has scheduled sidewalk and curb improvements as far back as December 2011, more than two decades after the adoption of the ADA, but have failed to keep pace with those plans.
The article includes specific insight from locations around the city, provided by the three plaintiffs in the case, Joseph Henry, Francis Falls, and Stephan Namisnak.
FULL STORY: Three disabled men sue City of New Orleans for decade-long wait to fix curb ramps
Why Accessible Sidewalks Fall by the Wayside
Despite the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act more than 30 years ago, most U.S. cities delay making accessibility improvements to sidewalks until activists bring them to court.
The ADA Turned 30, but Universal Accessibility Still Far From the Reality
While many cities have shown efforts to implement accessible design since the 1990 adoption of the American Disabilities Act, more must be done.
Portland to Upgrade Sidewalks in ADA Settlement
The city will survey every one of its 37,000 street corners for compliance.
New York Governor Advances Housing Plan Amid Stiff Suburban Opposition
Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious proposal to create more housing has once again run into a brick wall of opposition in New York’s enormous suburbs, especially on Long Island. This year, however, the wall may have some cracks.
Rethinking the Role of Parking in the American City
In cities big and small, the tide is turning against sprawling parking lots, car-centric development, and minimum parking mandates.
Friday Eye Candy: 20 AI-Generated Cityscapes
AI-generated images are creating new landscapes and cityscapes, capable of inspiring awe or fear.
Planners Look to ‘Activity Centers’ for Sustainable Development
Existing hubs of ‘hyperlocal’ economic activity provide a model for urban density.
Federal E-Bike Rebate Bill Reintroduced
The bill, part of an effort to encourage active transportation for short trips and take cars off U.S. roads, would cover 30 percent of the cost of an electric bike.
Green Infrastructure Toolkit Launches on World Water Day
The Green Infrastructure Toolkit lists 25 actions local governments can take to transform crusty, impermeable urban landscapes into vibrant, spongy ecosystems that preserve water as a resource and protect against its potential destruction in floods.
Houston-Galveston Area Council
Houston-Galveston Area Council
City of Tulare
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
