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The Socio-spatial Construction of (In)accessible Public Toilets

Author

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  • Rob Kitchin

    (Department of Geography, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland, Rob.Kitchin@may.ie)

  • Robin Law

    (Department of Geography, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand, rml@hyperperth.otago.ac.nz)

Abstract

This paper examines the rights of disabled people to access public spaces in Western societies through an analysis of the provision of accessible public toilets in Ireland. Providing a critical analysis around the themes of social justice and citizenship, the investigation is based on an examination of present-day planning legislation, interviews conducted with 35 disabled people-19 in the Republic of Ireland and 16 in Northern Ireland—and a case study of one particular town, Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland. These data reveal that in Ireland and the UK, planning legislation is weak and often not enforced. Accessible public toilets are few and far between; those that do exist are often poorly designed; and, this lack of provision severely delimits the daily spatial behaviour of disabled people. This lack of provision, it is argued, is expressive of a wider set of ableist power geometries and signifies that disabled people do not, as yet, have the same civil rights as non-disabled people.

Suggested Citation

  • Rob Kitchin & Robin Law, 2001. "The Socio-spatial Construction of (In)accessible Public Toilets," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 38(2), pages 287-298, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:38:y:2001:i:2:p:287-298
    DOI: 10.1080/00420980124395
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    Cited by:

    1. Grisé, Emily & Boisjoly, Geneviève & Maguire, Meadhbh & El-Geneidy, Ahmed, 2019. "Elevating access: Comparing accessibility to jobs by public transport for individuals with and without a physical disability," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 280-293.
    2. Piha, Samuel & Räikkönen, Juulia, 2017. "When nature calls: The role of customer toilets in retail stores," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 33-38.
    3. Taylor, Zbigniew & Józefowicz, Iwona, 2012. "Intra-urban daily mobility of disabled people for recreational and leisure purposes," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 155-172.

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