How Accessibility is Embedded in Our Public Spaces

In May 2025, the City of West Kelowna adopted its first Accessibility Plan, outlining three goals and sixteen actions to support a more accessible and inclusive community. As an early priority, the City committed to assessing public spaces through a community-led approach to better understand and address barriers experienced by people with disabilities. Supported by Urban Matters and Urban System, the project focused on auditing active transportation routes to essential services. Rather than a traditional consultant-led audit, the team co-developed a lived experience auditing tool, drawing on insight from people with diverse abilities. Ten trained community members, including seniors, youth, and individuals with mobility, low vision, and other accessibility challenges, completed over 750 audits. Their lived experience helped identify common barriers in the physical, social, and policy environments, and findings are now informing future planning.