On 27 May 2011, Tallinn will host the 2nd international conference "Cities For All – Tallinn For All’, where the participants will be discussing mobility related issues, review reasons behind the success or failure of mobility projects in various countries, and discuss the social, economic and environmental impact connected with it. The speakers come from England, Finland, Austria, and France.
The keynote speaker is Rama Gheerawo from the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art; Hanna-Leena Rissanen will present the research carried out by the Aalto University in Helsinki, which is entitled ‘Future Public Transport for All’; Veolia’s example presented by Claude Arnaud from France attempts to demonstrate that involving designers in creating new solutions has proven to be appropriate; Eric Rhinn speaks about the design process for public transports in Saint-Etienne. Veronia Egger will provide examples about the generation of efficient mobility prototypes; Fabien Combe is a designer, who has worked on urban sustainable mobility. The conference will be opened by Finn Petren, the President of the EIDD Design For All Europe and will be moderated by Pete Kercher. Panel discussions will be held with the participation of professors of Estonian higher educational institutions and internationally recognised mentors (Julia Cassim, Francesc Aragall, Avril Accolla etc.) who will be leading the implementation of the project named ‘Cities for All – Tallinn For All’.
‘Cities for All – Tallinn For All’ is an international co-operation project, whose objective is to find solutions for turning Tallinn into a more accessible and user-friendly city.The project will be realised by the Estonian Association of Designers, and the results of the first work groups will be analysed within the workshop held on 26 May. Final innovation proposals, as well as new product and service projects can be seen in September, at the exhibition taking place in the framework of the European Innovation Festival and the Design Night.
The spread of information within a society is taking place with extreme speed, owing to modern technology. The digital revolution has made the world more transparent, and the internet facilitates decision taking processes. Have you ever thought how much time and money you save because you can perform necessary actions without having to go anywhere; internet banking and tax authorities’ services, as well as the electronic election option are just some of the examples. Electronic services are developing rapidly, and when we use them widely we are also helping to reduce the impact on the environment. How has the spread of e-services changed our moving habits? As long as teleportation has not become a reality we have to ask ourselves whether or not physical mobility will catch up with virtual mobility? The objective is to travel faster, easier and in a manner that spares the environment. The use of vehicles which pollute the environment as little as possible is in the best interests of us all.
When we create new solutions, do we take into consideration every group of people, be them the elderly, mothers with children or people with special needs? An ageing society forces us to think about ways to solve mobility and transport problems for people with weaker physical abilities. Old people must also be free to choose where they get old. The benchmark is unassisted independent living, and simple access to key services: stores, health care facilities, post offices, community centres and social networks. Mobility affects independence, communication between generations, and participation in the life of the community. Mobility has an important social dimension. A human society must take into consideration all the groups of people when designing an environment. The Design For All platform brings together designers and architects with a holistic mindset, who care about people for whom they design new products and services or buildings.
