The Plan for the Elimination of Architectural Barriers within public buildings and pedestraian pathways in the small city of Saronno (1994-1996).

The gradual adoption during the years of the PEBAs – Plans for the Elimination of Architectural Barriers in public buildings (that are compulsory since 1986, under law number 41) by many Local Authorities, has also led to the removal of the elements of discomfort that existed within urban routes, (compulsory since 1992 under law number 104), to the detection and realisation of accessible routes, the installation of acoustic traffic lights for the visually impaired, the removal of road signals that could represent an obstacle to the mobility of people with disabilities (art. 24 of Law 05/02/1992, number 104).

In Saronno (Varese), in the framework of the PEBA (Studio Steffan-Sudio ADR), 30 municipal buildings with different purposes have been analysed: schools (18 buildings, among which nurseries, kindergartens, elementary, intermediate and high schools), socio-educational services (socio-educational centres, youth and elderly centres, local health authority), sports centres (gyms, bowls, playing fields), offices (municipality, court), cultural centres (theatre, library), (18 schools, 7 care and youth centres, 1 health centre, 1 library, 1 theatre, 1 sports centre, the municipal headquarters), all town routes.
After the drafting of the Plan, that included some instructions for the preliminary project, some urgent actions have immediately been implemented, such as the pedestrianisation of the main road, through the removal of the height differences between the road and the entrances of the shops. The works have been carried out in almost all buildings, by the municipal technical office, during a period of about 10 years.
This experience can be considered as a best practice, since it has stressed how important it is that each public building is connected by a protected and accessible pedestrian network.

Mobility of weak users, Conference: on the Right to mobility, governance, regulations and management, 22 September 2006, Mobility Show – Carrara Exhibition Centre ; "Laws and Plans for Accessibility of Public Buildings in Italy", POLIS/BAS International Conference Universal Design of Buildings: Tools and Policy, November 2006, Brugge/Gits, Belgium - pagg.120-129
Article Pedestrian mobility of weak users Roads, Highways n° 2 March/April 2007, EDI-CEM srl
Interview on accessible planning for the web TV Arcoiris, 17 July 2007
Article Laws and plans for accessibility of public buildings in Italy, ABACUS review n°2/07 del BIT Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, India.
Article Urban planning and accessibility of urban spaces, ECA European Concept for Accessibilility
Article Mobility of weak users and urban ergonomics. New objectives for the project research. Paesaggio urbano (Urban landscape) n.1/2008, Ed. Maggioli