Parvana Valiyeva: We are at a crossroads for future infrastructure

Today, the countries of the world are at a crossroads where the infrastructure of the future is being decided, Member of the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijani parliament) Parvana Valiyeva said at an event dedicated to the topic "Independent Living and Inclusive Cities for Persons with Disabilities," organized within the framework of Day III of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) held in Baku, Report informs.

According to her, if a person uses a wheelchair, it is not only mobility that limits them:

"A person with a disability encounters stairs instead of an elevator. If we change the environment, we can reduce disability. When we imagine an elderly person trying to navigate uneven sidewalks, a parent pushing a stroller, someone temporarily struggling in the city due to a broken leg, or a visually impaired person trying to cross a poorly designed intersection, we see that it is actually the environment that limits or, conversely, empowers those people. We must stop looking at people and thinking they have limitations. Instead, we should look at our public spaces and ask: how does this environment limit its citizens? Because cities, in fact, are for people."

Valiyeva stated that inclusive cities are not a privilege for a few people, but a fundamental human right for everyone:

"Accessibility should not be treated as a technical fix applied after the fact, but rather as part of the philosophy of urban planning, taken into account from the very earliest stage of development. Today, the world, especially the countries of the Global South – Africa and Asia – is rapidly urbanizing. We are at a crossroads today where decisions are being made about what the infrastructure, living spaces, digital systems, and public spaces of the future will look like. These decisions will shape the lives of future generations."