Rejuvenate the Old

Town
Recommendation Statement for Old Town
Presented to Albuquerques City Council

Proposed on November 25 of 2015

By Julianne Sanchez

Summary
This report was written because of the crucial need for renovations in Albuquerques Old
Town. As a granddaughter of wheelchair bound woman, I know and understand the
complications that come along with the inability to maneuver ideally in a wheelchair. I
also know from personal experience that Old Town is not the most accessible place for
someone who uses a wheelchair. It is my personal experience and consideration for others
who are wheelchair bound that motivated me to present this recommendation report.
Three options are presented in this report. The first is to install elevators in every
multiple-story building. The second option is to remodel and ensure that every door and
walkway can be accessed by wheelchair. The last option is to arrange and install
accessible transportation and parking for those who use wheelchairs.
A four phase research plan was implemented to formulate evaluation criteria, gather
information on the importance of universal design, study the needs of people who use
wheelchairs, and analyze options according to criteria.
The three options were evaluated based on the following criteria: cost, effectiveness,
necessity of those regarding, and ease of use. The next step was to evaluate the options
and ensure that they would be paid for by the City of Albuquerque. I conclude with a
recommendation that Old Town needs to implement at least one, if not all, of the options
discussed in order to maintain the safety and happiness of all persons who visit the
attraction town.

Table of Contents

Introduction4
Methodology.4-5
Results5-6
Discussion of Results.6
Final Recommendation..6-7
Works Cited.9

Introduction
Universal Design is essential in todays day and age. To be clear, Universal Design
involves designing products and spaces so that they can be used by the widest range of
people possible (universaldesign.com). Universal design is a design process that
addresses the needs of people with disabilities (universaldesign.com). Furthermore, this
means that a wide range of human disabilities needs to recognized. This includes and
applies to all able-bodied persons, children, periods of temporary illness, injury, and old
age. Universal Design is so important because it helps create things that all people can
use.
The purpose of this report is to stress the importance of Universal Design so that way the
greatest amount of people can enjoy one of Albuquerques most unique attractions.
Studies show that Old Town has inadequately adapted to the standards of todays
Universal Design guidelines and installations. My goal is to initiate the remodeling of
Old Town because people of all variations deserve to explore and enjoy this beautiful
town.

Methodology & Criteria

I utilized a four part plan to determine which remodeling option is most suitable for Old
Town based upon specific criteria.
Phase 1: Formulate evaluation criteria
Phase 2: Gather information on the importance of universal design
Phase 3: Study the needs of people with disabilities (specifically wheelchair
dependents)
Phase 4: Analyze options according to criteria
Phase 1: Formulate Evaluation Criteria
Based on a discussion with a member of the Old Town tourism department, we have
decided that the best option must adhere to specific criteria:
Cost-effective- As almost every other remodel construction proposal, the City of
Albuquerque needs to maintain a plan which fits in its specific budget. The option
chosen must fit within the Citys financial budget or be paid for by grant or other
independent sourcing.
Effectiveness for those with disabilities- The option chosen must improve the
accessibility of Old Town for the greater number of people.
The ease of installment and use- The option chosen must be the most easily
installed and used in the future to better ensure overall satisfaction.
These criteria will be used to assess the best options in the discussion and analysis section
later in the report.

Phase 2: Gather Information on the Importance of Universal Design

In order to recommend solutions to improve the Universal Design of Old Town, we must
first understand the importance of Universal Design. The Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA) is a piece of legislation that protects the civil rights of people with disabilities
by ensuring that they are not unfairly denied access to job opportunities, goods or
services due to their disability (universaldesign.com). Old Town has failed to provide
guests with services that accommodate their disabilities.
I gathered information pertaining to this important subject by researching expertise
websites and also by surveying public opinions on this matter. My survey took place in
on site of Old Town. Here, I was able to survey public opinions directly from the place
that I was evaluating. The combination of web and on site research prepared me to write
my recommendation report.
Phase 3: Study the Needs of People with Disabilities
I work at the Center for Development and Disability and interviewed many staff members
and visitors of the center. Each person interviewed found it equally important that people
with disabilities are fairly accommodated. When asked what improvements can be made
to Old Town to better accommodate people in wheelchairs, the top three responses
became my three options being proposed in this recommendation report. The Center for
Development and Disability has its own Accessibility Resource Center and strongly
believes that Old Town should as well. The questions asked pertained to their opinion on
the purpose of accessibility and the most logical forms of accommodation that they
would recommend in a public setting. The Center for Development and Disability agreed
to participate in my surveys and interviews because they hope that their opinions could
have an impact on the City Council and furthermore push to renovations of Old Town.
Phase 4: Analyze Options According to Criteria
This report focuses on analyzing three major options: first is to install elevators in every
multiple-story building, second option is to remodel and ensure that every door and
walkway can be accessed by wheelchair, and the last option is to arrange and install
accessible transportation and parking for those who use wheelchairs
I utilized the criteria in Phase 1 to determine what option(s) would work best to improve
the accessibility of Old Town for people of all disabilities, but especially those who are
wheelchair bound.

Results
Based on a survey taken in the Old Town Tourism Office, participants scored each option
on a 1-10 scale. Before taking the survey, each participant was presented with the options
and criteria above. Each option listed was chosen based off of interviews that I conducted
prior to this survey with the staff members of the Accessibility Resource Center and the
Center for Development and Disability. They were asked to score how much they like
5

each option along with its criteria. 1 being that they dislike the proposed options and 10
being that they really like the proposed option. Results listed in figure below are the
average scores for each option:
Cost effectiveness
Effectiveness for
those regarding
Ease of installment
and use
Total Points

Option 1
3
9

Option 2
5
10

Option 3
6
7

18

21

21

The photos above are examples of the inaccessible doors and walkways because it a huge
and unfair problem for those with certain disabilities.
The first photo is a picture of a doorway with absolutely no accessible wheelchair ramp.
This is one of many examples where the door and walkway need immediate attention.
The second photo is of a family carrying their stroller downstairs because of the
lack/nonexistence of ramps and elevators.

Discussion of Results
6

The quotes presented are based on Old Towns current renovation budget along with the
City of Albuquerques additional budget for city remodeling.
Option 1- Installment of elevators in multi-story buildings
Cost-effective- The grand total for installing elevators in every multi-story
building would cost close to $50,000 at a cost of $10,000 per elevator/building.
Effectiveness for those with disabilities- The end result and overall effectiveness
is absolutely priceless. This undoubtedly will increase the accessibility of those in
wheelchairs in Old Town.
Ease of installment and use- Although this will be a huge renovation and not
considerably easy to install, it will be considerably easy to use for those who need
to after installment.
Option 2- Remodel and ensure that every walk and doorway can be access via
wheelchair
Cost-effective- The grand total would cost about $10,000 to widen doorways and
smooth all walkways.
Effectiveness for those with disabilities- This would immensely greaten the
experience of old town for those in wheelchairs because they will be able to enter
and roam every store and sidewalk in Old Town.
Ease of installment and use- This installment would be fairly easy and minimally
time consuming. The ease of use would increase.
Option 3- Arrange and install accessible transportation and parking
Cost-effective- The grand total is estimated to be close to, but less than $10,000.
Effectiveness for those with disabilities- This would increase the ability for
people in wheelchairs to travel to and from their favorite Old Town Destination.
Ease of installment and use- The installment is fairly easy. This would only
include building more accessible parking spaces and arranging more public
transportations to go to Old Town.

Conclusion and Recommendation

Although the survey showed above reveals that Option 1 (installment of elevators in
multi-story buildings) would be the most effective for those who are disabled by
wheelchair, Option 2 or 3 seems to be the most desirable taking all factors and criteria
into consideration. In order to increase the accessibility of Old Town for the greater
number of people, especially those who have disabilities, I am proposing Option 2 to be
the best option.
I recommend that Old Town and the City of Albuquerque work together and collaborate
in order to finalize a plan that will remodel each and every door and walkway to make it
accessible for those who are wheelchair bound or of any other disability.

With the help of Albuquerques City Council, Old Town can renovate and remodel each
door and walkway at a cost of about $10,000. Overtime, the city will surely make the
money back considering how many more people will be able to access and enjoy the
town. I recommend initiating this renovation as soon as possible in order to achieve
maximum benefits. I thank you for reviewing this recommendation report and hope that
you now understand the importance of Universal Design and decide to help fund Old
Town to remodel the buildings that is greatly needed and deserved by the people. Please
consider rejuvenating this Old Town. Contact Julianne Sanchez at
juliannesanchez@unm.edu with any questions regarding the recommendations. Thank
you for your time and opportunity.

Works Cited
CDDStaff."HowtoImproveEverydayAccessibility."Personalinterview.1Nov.2015.

OldTownGuests."HowtoImproveEverydayAccessibility."Survey.1Nov.2015.
"WhatIsUniversalDesign?UniversalDesign."WhatIsUniversalDesign?Universal
Design.Web.20Nov.2015.