Inclusive public space. Promenade on the Danube, at Mahmudia - Romania

In Mahmudia, Romania, at the edge of the Danube Delta, a once-neglected riverbank has been transformed into an inclusive public space for locals, tourists, children - people of diverse abilities, ages, genders etc.

The project’s core strength lies in the inclusive approach and its results, guided by five key principles:

• Multidisciplinary Team: engaged experts from multiple fields for complementary knowledge and perspectives.
• Norms and Standards: established a clear and reliable starting base for the project.
• Empathy Exercises: organized activities to improve understanding of human diversity for: team, client, and builder.
• Stakeholder Engagement: throughout all phases of the project, diverse groups—community members (citizens, fishermen, small business owners), tourists, NGOs, people of diverse ages, genders, abilities, and disabilities—were included through interviews, focus groups, testing, etc.
• In-Use Analysis: evaluating the real-world impact on the community to inform future improvements.

The project’s main results are structured into four categories:

• Topography of Experiences: preserving natural features while enabling flexible use, people define the space through their usage scenarios;
• Contexts for Interaction: creating spaces where people from different backgrounds can meet, interact, and observe each other;
• Standard vs. Custom, combining basic accessible infrastructure with tailored inclusive solutions;
• Wayfinding, Playfinding & More: learning and discovery through a playful, multisensory orientation system that includes Braille, tactile elements, and local stories.

It features Romania’s first inclusive playground, co-designed with children and parents, natural tactile paths, a communal pavilion, and multifunctional areas like the custom-made inclusive sand table. Accessibility is embedded in the landscape, offering autonomy, creativity, and dignity.

Through redesign and empathy exercises, challenges like post-pandemic cost increases and local resistance to accessibility were overcome. 

The project, completed in 2024, is now a regional model for inclusive design and has already been awarded for its results. It will continue evolving through five years of impact assessment involving the diverse community it serves. It shows how small towns can lead in creating accessible, vibrant, and connected public spaces.

More about the inclusive public space. Promenade on the Danube

More about the Inclusive Waterfront on the Danube at Mahmudia.

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