A Cidade Invisível: como tornar as cidades mais inclusivas

Abstract

If we abstracted ourselves from the images our eyes constantly seek and tried to interpret space using our other senses, what would we describe? The smell, the sound of our footsteps, or perhaps the wall´s texture. At the end of a journey, we would create a mental map that would fit these elements we have perceived, as this would be the only way to find our way back to the starting point. This is how visually impaired people navigate their daily lives. The absence of vision leads us to question the architectural perception of the sighted world. This dissertation aims to demystify visual impairment and its relationship with architecture, focusing primarily on the city, where great daily challenges and constant dangers prevail. To achieve this, it is essential to understand what visual impairment encompasses, from blindness to low vision, through a theoretical foundation and conducted interviews. It involves exploring the available support for these individuals, studying existing solutions implemented in various projects, and then analyzing the city itself. In the city, urban barriers on the route stand out, and solutions are proposed to achieve Autonomy. We try to know which orientation methods are used by a person with visual pathologies and how their mental map of the city, called the Invisible City, is formed. "Now, if 'the world is (...) the visual reference we have of it,' not seeing is the same as... living in a virtual reality,"¹ invisible to those who can see. In a last phase, a proposal for urban intervention is drawn up, which is based on carrying out an activity, at the defined location, in which, a blind person and a person with low vision participate. Throughout the activity, everything they perceive along the route is captured and recorded, assembling these elements to form the map of the Invisible City. This research contributes to the better adaptation of cities for visually impaired individuals. It informs and provides architects with tools through a design analysis that prioritizes the users' perspectives. Although the primary focus is visual impairment, the suggested measures and discussed topics benefit everyone with reduced mobility, including older adults.