What happens when a design intended to improve accessibility becomes an obstacle in itself? My investigation focused on the tactile paving along the upper section of King’s Boulevard, between King’s Cross St Pancras station and the Central Saint Martins campus at Granary Square.
It didn’t take long for inconsistencies to emerge. At one point, I even questioned whether I was looking at tactile paving at all or some form of rainwater drainage.
This brings to mind Graphic Events: A Realist Account of Graphic Design (Dyer and Deakin, 2022), which explores what happens to design once it leaves the designer’s hands. Its impact can be unpredictable, something particularly relevant to tactile paving. However, while the book encourages designers to embrace this unpredictability, that becomes problematic when accessibility is at stake. Our investigations relate in theme, but not necessarily in conclusion.
Tactile paving was invented by Japanese engineer Seiichi Miyake to help a friend losing his sight. It was subsequently adopted worldwide, with extensive implementation guidelines. Yet King’s Boulevard demonstrates how a carefully conceived design can be compromised through its application. Crucially, these outcomes cannot all be attributed to chance. Choices were made.
The podcast Spatial Delight, in its episode Cities for the Many Not the Few (Lisiak, 2023), discusses geographer Doreen Massey’s criticism of urban regeneration. Massey co-authored a pamphlet challenging the design-led, often elitist approach to regeneration. She argued instead for cities shaped by social empowerment, benefiting the many rather than the few. Their research process feels closely aligned with our project, particularly the importance of being physically present in the spaces and communities being investigated.
This seems particularly relevant here. Not only does the tactile paving blend almost seamlessly into the surrounding stonework, making it difficult for partially sighted pedestrians to distinguish, but the wrong type of paving has been installed.
The Department for Transport (2021, pp. 45, 71) distinguishes between corduroy hazard-warning surfaces and guidance path surfaces intended to indicate a safe route. Yet on King’s Boulevard, the former has been used in place of the latter. A design decision was clearly made, apparently favouring aesthetics over accessibility.
Massey’s idea of ‘thrown-togetherness’, also discussed in the podcast, describes how people, materials and cultures come together to shape urban life. These relationships are influenced by power, with decisions about public space often favouring some groups over others.
King’s Boulevard is clearly a glossy regeneration scheme, much loved and appreciated by many. So it hasn’t fallen into every trap. But more attention could have been paid to this particular accessibility measure.
Anti-ram bollards have also been retrofitted into the scheme, sometimes directly obstructing the tactile paving. Combined with incorrect paving patterns and the decision to match their colour to the surrounding stonework, it starts to feel like a case of form over function.
These aren’t simply unpredictable consequences of design entering the real world. Decisions were made, apparently prioritising aesthetics and security over accessibility. Massey’s question of who the city is designed for seems particularly appropriate.
I suspect Seiichi Miyake would not approve.
References
Dyer, J. and Deakin, N. (eds.) (2022) Graphic Events: A Realist Account of Graphic Design. Eindhoven: Onomatopee.
Lisiak, Agata, host. “Cities for the Many Not the Few”, Spatial Delight, Apple Podcasts, 27 Jan. 2023, Available here.
Department for Transport (2021) Guidance on the Use of Tactile Paving Surfaces. Department for Transport. Available here.
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