Post by 17 Triggers

Phnom Penh experiences 23 to 25 heat wave days annually, but a visually impaired person can’t easily seek shade on hot days. “𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘁, 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝘁.” They also rely on physical markers like tactile paving to navigate their environment. Yet tactile paving in direct sun can be 10°C hotter than shaded areas, which makes moving safely through the city exhausting and increasingly dangerous. Behavior change is impossible when the environment makes the behavior impossible. Shade doesn’t have a tactile marker, but could it? What would it look like? How could it work? What other ways could the environment enable shade-seeking behaviours for the visually impaired? By 2050, extreme heat days in Phnom Penh will double. Without significant changes to the current infrastructure, and consideration to how it disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, a lot more people will suffer. We don't have the answers yet. But we know this: effective solutions are only possible when we design with people at the center of the issue. If you're working on heat resilience or inclusive infrastructure, we should talk. Thank you to our partner: GIZ Cambodia, Putthy San, Franziska Fuerst, Maren Suchta-Platzmann 17 Triggers team: Chanmonyroth Hun, Imara Roychowdhury, SokSambath Pen #DisabilityInclusion #InclusiveDesign #ExtremeHeat #ClimateResilience #UrbanAccessibility #Intersectionality #CitiesForAll