“Plans for the Removal of Architectural Barriers (PEBAs) from a UD Perspective. An Interdisciplinary Process in the Italian Region Friuli Venezia Giulia”

It is more than thirty years since the Italian Law introduced the Plans for the Removal of Architectural Barriers (PEBAs). However, their implementation by municipalities is still limited, and accessibility is often understood as the result of the elimination of single physical obstacles, rather than the development of interconnected systems of urban spaces and collective equipment that are usable and inclusive according to Universal Design (UD) criteria. Since 2018, the Italian Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region has started a collaboration with the Universities of Trieste and Udine, in order to bring UD at the core of the implementation of the Regional Law no. 10/2018. This Law introduced significant innovations: the disposal of regional funds to support local administrations when drafting PEBAs; the delivery of a software application to facilitate the drawing of these plans; the establishment of a reference center in charge of training, information and consultancy activities on accessibility at a regional level (CRIBA); the delivery of a regional observatory for mapping and continuous monitoring of accessibility conditions and the implementation of PEBAs. The paper presents: i) an overview of the interdisciplinary work carried out by the Universities with the Region and CRIBA; ii) a focus on Universities’ research activities and the current state of the collaboration process; iii) reflections on further research and its operational outcomes.