With more than 2,000 officially recorded monuments – most of them historic – the city of Paris offers a visually stunning experience for visitors. This summer there is even more to see thanks to the world’s biggest sporting tournaments, which will hike visitor numbers by 30%. However, navigating the iconic sites in Paris and the competition venues in the Île-de-France region can be challenging for people with disabilities.
Modern city life presents significant challenges to individuals if accessibility needs are not adequately addressed. There are ways to significantly improve the user experience for everyone. Modern elevators can have audible and tactile solutions, such as audible alerts and Braille labels, combined with key design features like the placement of buttons. The elevators can also be designed so that they allow enough time to enter and exit.
As a historic city, Paris faces the unenviable task of retrofitting many accessibility features into its existing infrastructure to meet the standards of the modern-day city while protecting its heritage. Yet, the city is rising to the challenge. A goal of making 95% of its municipal facilities accessible by 2025 is a testament to this commitment.
In anticipation of welcoming the many hundreds of thousands of athletes and sports fans with disabilities, the city of Paris has reserved €125 million to enhance accessibility in the capital. Improvements include lowering and making repairs to damaged sidewalks and fitting traffic lights with audible alerts.
Accessibility is also a priority in The Grand Paris Express, the expansion of the Paris metro network that has been a major project for KONE with more than 300 KONE escalators and elevators installed overall. The Line 14 and future Lines 15, 16, 17, and 18 are the only ones to date that are fully accessible from one terminus to the other to everyone – including people in wheelchairs.
Let’s look at some of the other improvements that will pave the way towards Paris that is truly accessible to everyone.
A warm welcome at the city’s busiest airport
Busy Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport is the first Parisian encounter for many. It’s also their first impression of the city. Groupe ADP, operating and developing the three main Paris airports has been preparing long in advance for the influx of sports fans and athletes this summer - with a special focus on accessibility.
The list of issues to be addressed at Roissy included improving assistance for the visually impaired, increasing the number of dedicated pathways that help those with a disability to exit the airport quickly, and ensuring that all the airport’s elevators were in the best possible condition to serve the crowds.
Ali Cherifi, KONE’s maintenance supervisor at the Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport, recalled how the announcement of Paris’ big sporting news back in 2017 sparked immediate action.
“The KONE team at the airport began discussing the impact on our operations,” Cherifi explained. “We assessed elevator safety, aesthetics, and areas for improvement to ensure a smooth experience for visitors of all abilities.”
At KONE, inclusivity is paramount, all new KONE solutions are designed with diverse abilities in mind-making inclusivity an integral part of both the design philosophy and user experience. This inclusive mindset extends to the maintenance team as well.
“Better accessibility was our primary improvement proposal,” Cherifi says. “We wanted to make elevator journeys seamless for everyone coming to Paris.”
Gaining insights from user experiences and AI
The KONE Roissy team prioritized accessibility by improving vocal and visual announcements in elevators. These help visually impaired and hearing-impaired visitors to navigate the airport independently.
“As standard,” says Cherifi, “KONE elevators come with inductive systems to serve hearing-impaired individuals and Braille buttons for the visually impaired. However, as part of our improvements program for the elevators at the airport this summer, we modified our standard offering on the six busiest elevators at the customer's request to enhance the user experience further.”
Next, the team sat down with the airport staff responsible for assisting people with disabilities.
“Their daily experience is invaluable,” explained Cherifi. “They provided crucial insights into the challenges faced by the passengers they support.”
People with reduced mobility often struggle to press elevator call buttons. Another issue was that doors would sometimes close before users had enough time to enter the elevator car. The KONE team had a solution in mind.
“We proposed installing a radar system that detects the presence of a person in a wheelchair and automatically calls the elevator or keeps the doors open,” says Cherifi. “This modification has greatly improved the user experience for everyone.”
KONE's 24/7 connected elevator system played a vital role in enhancing accessibility, too. Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), the system facilitates smooth elevator access for athletes of all abilities, even those arriving with bulky equipment like canoes or pole-vaulting gear.
Using AI has many benefits, because its sharp eye can detect subtle issues that might go unnoticed by its human colleagues, such as minor elevator car misalignments upon floor arrival. Even a few centimeters can significantly impact accessibility for wheelchair users and people with visual impairments.
An entire city embracing positive change
The new modern metro stations and airport experience are only one part of a suite of services designed to make Paris as accessible as possible to everyone this summer. Other solutions include free assistance at stations, dedicated shuttle services to sporting events for wheelchair users, and an increase in accessible taxis from 250 vehicles to 1,000. Trained volunteers at event venues will further enhance the experience for those with disabilities.
What Paris learns about accessibility from its big sporting summer will be dissected by other major urban centers around the world to build better cities. Among them are sure to be Los Angeles and Brisbane, which will have their turn hosting the world’s biggest sporting event next.
The World Economic Forum states that urban infrastructure upgrades will cost $130 trillion by 2027, but notes that the focus on decarbonization may overlook the critical need for accessibility.
Paris, however, certainly hopes to learn from this summer. It has a 2024 legacy program that aims to improve the city’s accessibility long term, improve the participation of those with disabilities, and provide better access to sports activities for everyone.