There is a very thin line of sympathy between accommodating and including, Accommodating somewhat reminds me of leftovers, you get what's possible with least effort. Including, on the other hand, is a little more personal, it seems to reflect actions that go out of the way in order to provide. As an urban designer, sometimes it's very easy to forget the difference and label accommodation as inclusion.
Having accessibility provisions as an accessory in architecture is not inclusion it's accommodation. Changing pedagogical standards that teach design thinking to include accessibility is the right method to include groups. Locally sourcing materials to promote "sustainability" is an accommodation or rather a sad excuse for one. Studying material histories, understanding ecological conditions and designing in a way that is equitable is sustainable construction.
The world today accommodates the impoverished, it accommodates the voiceless and accommodates the oppressed. What Urban Design needs to do is normalize elements that make these sects feel part of the community, We don't need more diversity when we cannot respect or sustain the ones we already have. The word used here is need, wanting something is much different and today is only applicable to those in power, those who can accommodate. This does not mean squashing creativity or new arenas of development rather thriving in the space we currently have. Accommodation resonates with survival while inclusion resonates with thriving. The society needs to thrive, take a pause, rethink the provision to include and create moments where most, if not all are satisfied.
All of this does sound a little grey, but some of the concepts that have come up from such arguments are so utopian that it is simply hard to imagine. Cosmo-localism or almost a grass root to up, not bottom up, approach has brought forth several new initiatives. Sharing knowledge and inclusion across boundaries has become a concept that could delve deeper into what it means to accommodate vs include. Commoning is another term popular in grad school which talks about a database, a database of problems, solutions, standards, examples, mistakes and what nots of the eras going by. This database helps pick up aspects of inclusion that we may or may not adopt according to local needs, but atleast we have something to get started with.
The takeaway being, inclusion needs to be taught along with what an elevation is, what a section is and not as an accessory or a concept that could be adopted. It is a MUST and not a CAN, unless this becomes a part of design thinking and not just an addition, urban design will simply remain accommodative.
-- Sincerely, a student who came two weeks late for the semester but lost no time catching up because she had the privilege to be included and not just accommodated. It takes very small steps to be kind, architecture is at it's most honest form, a service, and that service needs to be kind.
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