If we want to hear from everyone, we need to invite everyone

Accessible planning communication

Our last CoFutures Canvass ended with Jane Jacobs’ famous words: “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” But how can we ensure that everybody has an opportunity to get involved in creating their city?

As urban planning communicators our goal is to inspire more people to participate in shaping their neighbourhoods – to represent the diverse needs and ideas of everybody within a community. We often hear about digital accessibility of web content or physical accessibility of public spaces, but accessibility is equally important in planning communication if we want everyone’s voices to be heard.?

In its simplest form, planning communication is a focus on clear, empathetic and people-centric expressions of urban planning concepts. This can materialise into a wide range of outputs; from written and visual communication to interactive and immersive physical experiences.

Using an example of a poster for a community engagement project, this CoFutures Canvass breaks down some of the key considerations we take into account when developing accessible planning communication.

Typography

Typography is an important consideration for every kind of communication material, both digital and print. Some of the most important typography considerations include the choice of font, font size and leading. Font size and styling can also be used to emphasise text and to create hierarchy which makes it easier to follow content on a page. Vision Australia provides a great overview of font considerations and settings for accessibility. Try Atkinson Hyperlegible or Lexend if you are looking for fonts that are specifically designed for increased legibility for readers with low vision or dyslexia.

Colour

Colour is another very important consideration when designing for accessibility. Colours need to have a high enough contrast for text or graphics to remain readable. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) ask for a colour contrast of 4.5:1 between text and its background for small text and a contrast of 3:1 between text and its background for large text. To ensure you meet these guidelines use Adobe’s Contrast Checker Tool to check the contrast of your colour selections. If you need some help getting started with an accessible colour palette, Colorsafe.co and Randoma11y.com are helpful tools to pick accessible colors to start with. In addition to contrast, you also need to check if your colour palette works for people with visual impairments such as colour blindness. You can use Adobe’s Color Blind Safe Tool to check if your palette is colour blind safe.

Iconography

Icons can be a great way to communicate information in a visual way. Just like text, icons should have sufficient colour contrast to the background. If icons are functional, they convey information and are not just decorative, they should always be accompanied by additional alternative text.

Content and language

To ensure that text is accessible, you should keep it short and simple. If a sentence is long and complicated, try to split it up in two sentences and remove filler words such as ‘very’ or ‘really’. Use active voice to keep the message direct and clear. For example you could say ‘City Council will contact the participants’ instead of ‘The participants will be contacted by City Council’. Use inclusive and respectful terms, such as person-first language (‘person with vision impairments’) instead of identity-first language (‘vision impaired person’). Avoid using jargons or acronyms, but if you cannot avoid them make sure you explain them.

If in doubt, ask yourself if a nine-year old child would be able to read the text or use the Microsoft Accessibility Checker. Make sure that not only the language is accessible but also the options you provide for people are accessible, for instance by providing an online as well as a paper option for a survey.

Imagery

Make sure to include a descriptive alternative text when using images, for example in reports, videos and social posts. Additionally, make sure to include captions when you are using moving images or audio content, such as in social posts or on a website.