The effect of applying (ADA) criteria in designing commercial street sidewalks in the city center of Sulaimaniyah

Abstract

In the light of the statement that “every route and facility must be usable”, the sidewalks of the city center streets should be designed in an appropriate way that is suitable for all ages. In addition, as for their functions, the urban streets should meet the requirements to become functional for all users. Therefore, this study seeks to shed light on the requirements, which the sidewalks are supposed to meet to function in an appropriate and neatly manner so that they can serve the users of all ages and types including the people with special needs. It also informs of the consequences of lacking and neglecting such requirements and investigates the performance of the sidewalks in the absence of those requirements. The study reached a conclusion that most of the relevant criteria related to the design and the construction of the sidewalks within the targeted areas of the study have not been met, resulting to become inappropriate for the users. To address these problems, the study proposed a number of recommendations to the relevant authorities.