Exploring the unintentional alignment of sensory zones on the High Line, the concept of autism-friendly design, and the potential of inclusive architecture. Featuring testimonials on Article furniture, an ad for ZipRecruiter, and journalist Lauren Ober's insights on designing neuro-friendly spaces and potentially entire cities.
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