Exploring Brynie Roberts and Lindsey Harkhamma's project, the neuro-diverse city, that aims to redesign public spaces in New York City to better support sensory needs and diversity, emphasizing collaboration with autistic self-advocates for choice and addressing sensory stimulation.
A few years back, journalist Lauren Ober was diagnosed with autism. She then made a podcast about her experience called The Loudest Girl in the World. And she found herself imagining a fantasy world where everything is tailored to Lauren’s very specific autistic needs. And she called this magical imagined place, wonderfully devoid of overwhelming stimuli "Autism Pleasantville."
"Obviously," Ober notes, "there’s not a one-size fits all diagnosis or even definition of autism ... as the autism adage goes: 'If you know one autistic person…you know one autistic person.' But despite our wide variety of needs, I wanted to know how design is evolving to better accommodate us" -- how were ideals being handled in the real world.
Autism Pleasantville