Inclusive Design for Getting Outdoors

I’DGO News

Read our latest news bulletins here and on Twitter (no log-in required).

I’DGO Events

Download the monograph on A Built Environment for All Ages, our KT-EQUAL workshop on Friday 19th March.

I’DGO Resources

View and download our publications and presentations.

Find out what we’ve learnt so far:

Design guidance gives advice on design of outdoor environments based on the evidence we’ve found

Theories and methods tells you about the background to our research and the new methods and tools we’ve been using

Find out what we’re doing now:

Welcome to the I’DGO consortium:
a virtual centre of research excellence

There is growing evidence that well-designed outdoor spaces can enhance the long-term health and wellbeing of those who use them regularly. At I’DGO (Inclusive Design for Getting Outdoors), our aim is to examine what this means for older people. When we think about lifelong access to and enjoyment of neighbourhood environments, we place older people at the heart of the sustainability and regeneration agendas. But is this reflected in current policy? And does the latest ‘best practice’ in the design of outdoor spaces really meet the needs of all users?

I’DGO is a research project focused on identifying the most effective ways of shaping outdoor environments inclusively. We support the needs and preferences of older people and disabled people, always seeking to improve their independence and overall quality of life. The project is built around a core group of international academics in three leading research centres: the Edinburgh-based OPENspace; SURFACE Inclusive Design Research Centre at Salford; and the WISE (Wellbeing in Sustainable Environments) research unit at the University of Warwick. We are funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and play an active role in its flagship knowledge transfer consortium, KT-EQUAL (www.equal.ac.uk).