An accessible garden is a way of ensuring that everyone, regardless of their physical condition, can connect with nature.
Accessibility is not a concern exclusive to indoor environments; it is also essential in outdoor areas such as gardens and parks. This article brings practical tips and inspiring examples to help you design inclusive gardens that welcome everyone.
What makes a garden genuinely accessible?
Accessibility in gardens begins with removing the physical and sensory barriers that hinder the experience of people with disabilities, older people and pregnant women. Wide paths and even surfaces that are easy to move across are fundamental. It is also important to include visual and tactile signage for people with visual impairments. Furniture and plants should be chosen with care, with everyone’s safety and comfort in mind.
Paths and surfaces: the first step toward inclusion
Choosing the right ground materials makes all the difference in an accessible garden. Uneven surfaces, such as loose stones or long grass, can be obstacles for wheelchair users and people with reduced mobility. Materials such as smooth concrete, interlocking pavers or reinforced paving are safe and pleasant alternatives. In addition, paths need to be at least 1.20 meters wide, allowing wheelchair users to move around comfortably.
Ramps and clearly marked level changes
On terrain with different height levels, ramps with a gentle gradient (up to 8%) and handrails on both sides are indispensable. Steps and level changes should be marked with contrasting strips and tactile paving to help those with visual impairments. In this way, the green space becomes accessible to everyone, without exception.
Furniture that welcomes and invites
Benches, tables and other resting elements play an essential role. Benches with backrests and armrests make the environment more comfortable for older people and people with reduced mobility. Adapted tables, with enough space for wheelchairs, make interaction more inclusive. The height of the furniture should also suit different audiences, from children to adults in wheelchairs.
Plants for all the senses
The choice of plants and the arrangement of beds can make a space even more welcoming. Favor low-maintenance species that do not cause allergies. Raised beds, between 60 and 80 centimeters high, make interaction easier for those who cannot crouch down or who use a wheelchair. Plants with vibrant colors and distinctive scents, such as lavender and jasmine, create a rich sensory experience, especially for people with visual impairments.
Sustainability and inclusion: a garden for the future
Accessible gardens can also be sustainable. Rainwater harvesting systems, automated irrigation and the use of native plants, which require less care, are solutions that reduce costs and simplify maintenance. In this way, the green space becomes more accessible not only for its users, but also for those who look after it.
Inspiring examples
In Brazil, there are initiatives that show how gardens can be accessible and inclusive. Ibirapuera Park, in São Paulo, has ramps, tactile paving, Braille signage and trails adapted for wheelchair users. The Curitiba Botanical Garden, meanwhile, has accessible routes, adapted benches and information panels in Braille, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the beauty of the space.
A garden for everyone
Creating an accessible garden goes beyond meeting a standard; it is an act of inclusion and respect. Well-planned paths, ramps, adapted furniture and carefully chosen plants are small steps that make a big difference. Accessibility in green spaces promotes equality and well-being, allowing everyone to enjoy the physical and mental benefits of being in contact with nature.
Including accessibility in the planning and execution of gardens means ensuring that no one is left out of that unique experience of connecting with the environment. After all, everyone deserves the chance to reconnect with nature fully and enjoyably.
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Make accessibility a decision, not a detail
Gardens, lobbies, offices: the same principle applies to every space your organization manages.
The Guiaderodas Certification goes beyond a technical checklist. Its methodology combines a detailed assessment of the physical space, the lived experience of people with disabilities, staff training for an accessible attitude and a leadership commitment to continuous improvement.
Learn about the Guiaderodas Certification →
