Universal design is an important technique to provide more people with the opportunity of social participation. However, there is a range of people’s needs that were not adopted into the requirements for universal design and as a result, social exclusion has arisen as an ‘unanticipated consequence’, which will be examined through a case study from a viewpoint of diversity. People with needs not addressed by universal design are left behind, and places incorporating universal design are still not fully accessible to everyone. Furthermore, this affects more than a minority. For example, although accessibility improves for wheelchair users by eliminating the level difference between sidewalks and driveways, it may become more difficult for the visually impaired to protect themselves from running cars. Moreover, Braille guidance blocks may improve accessibility for the visually impaired; however, there may still be cases of people with walking disabilities walking unstably. This problem originates in the design of universal design. Here, the range of social exclusion and social inclusion were examined through a case study. This paper examined the requirements of universal design needed to avoid social exclusion in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, while also considering the possibility of social inclusion.
