A ‘best practices’ manual guides accessibility on streets and sidewalks, but remains legally unenforceable.
Although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a landmark law that protects the civil rights of people with disabilities in many areas, “the ADA fails to address accessibility in areas known as the “public right-of-way,” which includes sidewalks, crosswalks, curb ramps, public transit stops, and more.”
The guidelines used since 2011 for the accessibility in the right-of-way, meanwhile, is not enforceable. As Marissa Bell explains in Streetsblog USA, the Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG) “was adopted by the U.S. Access Board [last year], but it still needs adoption by the departments of Justice and Transportation before it can truly make a life-changing impact for everyone who gets around in the public domain.”
Bell describes some of the most common accessibility features used in public ROW, and how they sometimes go wrong, pointing out that accessibility benefits more groups than just people with mobility impairments. “Ramps and other accessible infrastructure make life easier for everyone; it is vital that they are designed correctly or even designed at all.”
Read the full story: PROWAG Can Make Cities More Accessible — So Here’s What You Need to Know
New Guidelines Bring Clarity to Accessibility Requirements
The new rules could help bridge the gaps in accessibility infrastructure and ADA compliance, making roads and sidewalks safer for everyone.
Following Lawsuit, Philadelphia to Add or Fix 10,000 Curb Cuts
Disability rights advocates won a settlement that directs the city to improve accessibility on its public roads over the next 15 years.
Federal Government to Enforce Accessibility Guidelines
Local agencies will soon be tasked with adhering to federal right-of-way accessibility rules: comprehensive guidelines for accessible streets and sidewalks.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
California’s ‘unrecognizable’ water plan may go down the drain
After four years of regulatory processes, water agencies say the plan to overhaul how cities and farms take water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has changed dramatically.
Chicago Avenue bridge construction delays enrages city leaders
The bridge has been closed since 2025. The city originally aimed to re-open it in December, and now expects to finish construction in 2027.
NYC bus network redesign speeds up Queens buses
Rush routes have seen a 4.6% speed increase after the redesign.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority