Analysis of architectural accessibility of residential buildings in Ukraine

To ensure that everyone can coexist comfortably in society and have equal opportunities to access parks, homes, schools, hospitals, cafes, shops, etc., it is essential to consider the specific features and needs of all categories of citizens.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by Ukraine, declares the principles of equal opportunities, non-discrimination, and respect for human dignity, the freedom to make one’s own choices, and independence. This applies to individuals who experience difficulties in independent mobility, receiving services, obtaining information, or navigating spaces, such as people with disabilities (those with visual, hearing, or musculoskeletal impairments), the elderly, pregnant women, individuals with temporary health issues, and those with strollers. They have equal rights to access all public facilities. For their rights to be realized, buildings and structures must be adapted and accessible; otherwise, all discussions about equality and inclusivity become meaningless.

Buildings and structures that meet the regulatory requirements for ensuring accessibility and safety for people with limited mobility are considered accessible. This is achieved through the implementation of comprehensive architectural and planning, engineering and technical, ergonomic, constructional, and organizational measures. There are two main blocks of building accessibility for people with limited mobility: informational and architectural.

Informational accessibility includes the ability to freely obtain information about an object, and navigate within it and in the surrounding area: information boards, signs (both regular and in Braille) for people with limited mobility, and traffic lights equipped with sound signals. This allows a person to independently understand how to enter and exit the building.

Architectural accessibility involves the direct adaptation of buildings for use by people with limited mobility: the presence of ramps, lifts, and similar features. Information about architectural accessibility should also be conveyed through informational accessibility.

Architectural accessibility is ensured through universal design or reasonable adaptation of existing buildings. The principles of reasonable adaptation allow for the provision of a minimum standard of accessibility during the reconstruction, restoration, major repairs, and technical re-equipment of residential buildings and public facilities. These measures may include ramps, lifting devices, and other mechanisms.

LUN City, in collaboration with students from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (KNU), conducted a study on the level of architectural accessibility of residential buildings in Ukraine. As part of the program, about 1000 residential buildings were studied in 23 cities across Ukraine, including Odesa and Kyiv.

In Kyiv, only 30% of the surveyed buildings have ground-level entrances, and a compliant ramp (with a slope of 3-5 degrees, a width of 1.2 meters, with handrails and a non-slip surface) is present in only 9% of buildings.

Regarding access to shelters: only 3% of shelters have a wide entrance and a compliant ramp, and only 8% have a restroom, with none having restrooms for people with disabilities. The overwhelming majority of buildings do not have equipped shelters, and people use parking lots during air raids.

On August 22, 2023, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, signed an important law on the mandatory provision of bomb shelters in new buildings. Earlier, on August 10 of the same year, the norms DBN B.2.2-5:2023 were approved, which regulate the construction of civil protection structures.

According to the new norms, underground parking and other premises must be adapted for sheltering people and be barrier-free. There should also be safety rooms on the floors, and the building must have fire-resistant walls and windows. These regulatory acts are intended to ensure the protection of the population under threat and influence the approach to construction and the provision of communal services.