Autism friendly environment: guidelines for ASD friendly park / Nurbaidura Salim ... [et al.]

The need to consider the basis of specific needs of people with ASD has gained attention in the urban design and planning fields. The opportunity for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to fully interact with the city is often neglected due to the gap between their special needs and design of built environment. The organization of urban planning is considered important to improve the quality of life for people with ASD. This conceptual paper provides a review of the current literature on the relationship between people with ASD and urban planning in the context of designing autism-friendly spaces. Findings of the literature review indicate several factors to be considered when designing spaces for children with ASD, including the intelligibility, sensory quality, and predictability of the built environment. Based on the literature reviews, these factors have been recognized as fundamental spatial guidelines according to the specific spatial needs of children with ASD. This research is important to explore how urban planning impacts people with ASD, and how it can be designed to improve their quality of life.