The heroic efforts of athletes at the London 2012 Paralympic Games reminded the world of the continuing need for diversity and inclusion in everything we do. Civil and municipal engineers should consider the needs of all people in the societies they serve - regardless of physical ability, gender, culture or any other factor.
To help members build diversity and inclusion into their work, ICE has published a special issue (165 ME3) of its Municipal Engineer journal on the subject.
Responsibility of the engineer
According to honorary editor Ian Jenkinson, ‘Some may argue that this is a social issue, not our business. However, this overlooks a key responsibility of the municipal engineer to understand and address the needs of the citizen in the public realm’.
He says for many people the whole structure of the world is an obstacle to their participation. While these issues can be fairly obvious, such as steps for wheelchair users, Jenkinson notes that ‘more often it is invisible, such as uncertainty about kerb heights for a blind pedestrian’.
But he points out that planning for diversity is a far wider agenda than disability and ageing. ‘The needs of the young and the healthy can easily be overlooked if they are from a social group that is defined as beyond the pale.’
Increasingly inclusive
The lead article in the issue is by Daniel Hooper, chairman of the ICE equality and diversity panel, who makes the point that civil engineering needs more diversity to make the world a more inclusive place.
Other topics covered in the issue include working with communities, reducing fear of crime in public spaces, increasing provision of public toilets, providing better access to water and sanitation in low-income countries, and tackling gender imbalance in water engineering and engineering education.
For more information, please contact the ICE Proceedings editor Simon Fullalove on +44 (0)20 7665 2448 or at editor@ice.org.uk.