Urban Living as a Quadriplegic

Peter Apps, a quadriplegic for the past nine years, shares insight into how he evaluates the mobility and access of cities.

1 minute read

June 28, 2015, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


"If I've learned one thing in the nine years since I broke my neck, it's that the world is not particularly well designed for disabled people," writes Peter Apps for CityMetric. "Sometimes the things that stop you doing stuff and getting places (or, indeed, the things that enable you to do them) are very small. Sometimes they are massive."

In fact, says Apps, he has completely redrawn the map of the cities he visits based on what, and where, he can do given his special needs. He applies this concept to analysis of various urban resources in cities around the world, like taxis in London, minibuses in Egypt, and the wheelchair accessible portion of the Paris Metro.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015 in Citymetric

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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