– amendment of the regulations about the promotion of accessibility in buildings, etc. in Kyoto City

Buildings Inspection Division,
Urban Planning Bureau, Kyoto City

Background to the amendment of accessibility regulations

Kyoto City, which retains traditional scenery and culture such as historic shrines and temples, scenic sites, and elegant streetscapes lined with Kyoto townhouses, is both a major city where 1.46 million residents go about their daily lives and an attractive tourist city visited by many domestic and international tourists.

A hotel construction boom over the last few years has satisfied the need for guestrooms at accommodation facilities in Kyoto City in terms of quantity. However, there is a future demand for the provision of good-quality accommodation environments which can be used without worry by everyone: not only will the super-ageing of society progress, leading to an increase in opportunities for use by the elderly and people with disabilities, but these facilities may be used for other purposes, such as to accommodate patients with mild symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic or as evacuation facilities in the event of a disaster.

Given this situation, and taking into account the perspective of universal design, “Used freely and easily anywhere, by anyone”, the “Regulations about the Promotion of Accessibility in Buildings, etc. in Kyoto City” (hereinafter, “the Regulations”) were amended in April 2001. The accessibility standards applicable to all accommodation facilities carrying out construction and so on with the city were strengthened, with the aim of quality improvement.

In addition, in order to provide an environment in which the elderly or people with disabilities can obtain information about accessibility before using an accommodation facility, a system for the publication of accessibility information about accommodation facilities was set up at the same time.

Making ordinary guestrooms more accessible

In Kyoto City, the scale of accommodation facilities to which the Act on Promotion of Smooth Transportation, etc. of Elderly Persons, Disabled Persons, etc. applies, which is those with a floor area of 2,000 m2 or more under the Act, had already been lowered to 1,000 m2 or more by city regulations, and the accessibility of communal areas and corridors leading to the guestrooms and the provision of guestrooms for wheelchair users had been made compulsory.

The latest amendment, which applies to all guestrooms, establishes standards for pathways within the room, toilet, and bathroom, ensures a certain amount of space around the bed, and so on. The aim is to make guestrooms easy to use for everyone, including those with limited mobility such as the elderly, the people with physical disabilities, expectant and nursing mothers, and others.

Furthermore, the amendment also covers communal areas, expanding the standards for the installation of elevators and enhancing the standards for the equipping of toilets.  

Establishment of a system for the publication of information about both tangible and intangible aspects of accessibility

Since we envisage that the tangible facilities and intangible support and services required by elderly and disabled people when they use accommodation facilities will differ according to the individual, the dissemination of detailed information is desirable.

For this reason, we have set up a system for the publication of such information. At the same time as making it a requirement for accommodation facilities to publish accessibility information about tangible aspects such as changes in level within communal areas, whether or not they have guestrooms for wheelchair users, and the width of pathways within regular guestrooms on their websites etc., we are encouraging them to be proactive in publishing information about intangible accessibility measures such as the loan of equipment or the provision of communication through writing.

In addition, we request that the accessibility information published by each accommodation facility be submitted to Kyoto City and, after compiling the information from each facility, we also publish it on the Kyoto City website.

Conclusion

We ask for everyone’s cooperation as we aim to realise a sustainable tourist city which represents a win-win situation for “the future” in addition to “city residents, business operators, and tourists”.