Event Permits And Regulations

𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 🌱 In an era where urban spaces are often criticized for their grey, concrete aesthetics and lack of greenery, an innovative approach is capturing the attention of city planners and environmental enthusiasts alike: integrating pretty plants into parking lots. But is this just a visually appealing solution, or does it offer tangible benefits beyond the surface? 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 Urban areas are facing increasing challenges related to air quality, heat, and biodiversity. Traditional parking lots contribute to these issues by enhancing the urban heat island effect, reducing permeable surfaces, and offering little to no environmental benefits. By incorporating greenery into these spaces, we can begin to address these concerns, one parking spot at a time. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 > 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Plants can significantly reduce surface and air temperatures, mitigating the urban heat island effect. > 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐢𝐫 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Vegetation absorbs pollutants and carbon dioxide, producing oxygen and cleaner air in return. > 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: Green spaces can help manage stormwater runoff, reducing flooding and water pollution. > 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲: Adding plant life creates habitats for various species, increasing urban biodiversity. > 𝐀𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡: Green spaces are known to improve mental well-being, offering urban dwellers a much-needed touch of nature. > 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞: Well-designed green spaces can increase property values and attract businesses and visitors. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 > 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: Keeping these green spaces thriving requires ongoing maintenance, which can be costly and labor-intensive. > 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬: In densely packed urban areas, space is at a premium. Integrating substantial greenery without sacrificing parking space requires creative design solutions. > 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭: The selection of plants is critical; non-native or invasive species can do more harm than good to the local ecosystem. What are your thoughts on this green initiative? Could this be the future standard for urban planning? #sustainablecities #environmentalinnovation #urbandesign #innnovation #sustainability

European Accessibility Act (EAA): Why WCAG AA Isn’t Enough (https://lnkd.in/eHXE3YFK), a guide on why meeting WCAG standards alone doesn’t mean that digital products are compliant with EAA, and what EAA covers beyond the usual suspects. Put together by fine folks at Stark. WCAG guidelines focus on web content accessibility — color contrast, headings, navigation order, focus states, etc. It’s necessary, but not sufficient. The EAA adds requirements that go beyond the UI layer: 1. Interoperability with assistive technology 2. Third-party vendors, tools, services 3. Accessible support and cancellation flows 4. Conformance statements and technical docs 5. End-to-end usability (e.g. across devices, platforms) 6. Full-service accessibility (before, during, after) 7. Information delivery at every stage of use (e.g. emails). Frankly, it’s very difficult to imagine that an end-to-end accessible experience that covers the points above would emerge with a few accessibility-focused sprints running a few times a year. Yet in many organizations, accessibility initiatives are one-off efforts. As the time comes, there is a big effort to make digital products and services compliant, document these efforts and leave it be — until the next round of compliance work. Accessibility is treated as necessary work that must be done every now and again, rather than an ongoing investment and opportunity to reach wider audience. I love the point that organizations need to operationalize accessibility like they govern privacy and security. It requires people who enable and establish accessibility efforts, track their success and inform product development. It’s easier to achieve when it’s an ongoing effort, and when it involves a diverse group of users in research, design and testing. Accessibility never happens by accident. There must be a deliberate effort to make products and services more accessible. It doesn’t have to be challenging if it’s considered early. No digital product is neutral. Accessibility is a deliberate decision, and a commitment. Not only does it help everyone; it also shows what a company believes in and values. And once you do have a commitment, it will be so much easier to retain accessibility, rather than adding it last minute as a crutch — because that’s where it’s way too late to do it right, and way too expensive to make it well. And yet again, a kind word of support to everyone speaking for and supporting accessibility work, often with a lot of resistance, with very little budget and with a lot of care and persistence — to help people who often need help the most, and add benefits for everybody else. 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾 Useful resources: The New European Accessibility Act (EAA), And What It Means For You https://lnkd.in/eH-5Q3Mr #ux #WebAccessibility

The recent floods in the UAE served as a reminder to revisit our urban planning strategies. While immediate relief efforts are critical, it is equally important to focus on long-term solutions to ensure our cities' #resilience when we have extreme weather. One focus area is the importance of including green spaces in urban design. A recent study by MBZUAI (Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence) and IBM discovered that green spaces can significantly reduce temperatures, with some areas experiencing a cooling effect of up to 2.2 °C. This emphasises the critical role green spaces play in mitigating urban heat islands, a phenomenon in which cities have higher temperatures than surrounding areas. Here's how green spaces help: 🔹 Cooling effect: Vegetation and water bodies absorb heat, resulting in a cooler microclimate. 🔹 Reduced Flooding: Green spaces allow rainwater to naturally infiltrate the ground, reducing flooding risks. 🔹 Improved Air Quality: Parks serve as natural filters, absorbing pollutants and improving air quality. The MBZUAI study demonstrated how #AI can play a role in planning and optimising green spaces in urban environments. The study used AI-enabled technology to analyse decades of satellite data, identifying where vegetation has the greatest cooling effect. This data-driven approach allows us to eliminate guesswork and strategically place green spaces for maximum impact. #sustainability #climatechange #adaptation #climateaction

🤝 I wouldn't partner with a company unless I believed in the product. That's the case with Venngage. I'll note these posts with #Partnership. Truly, this company has made it part of its mission to help users create accessible designs. And it helps you during the process. The best way to explain it is in this captioned video as I try to make my "10 Tips to Be a Disability Ally" more visually appealing. And, of course, accessible. I exported the tips as a png, PowerPoint, and PDF files. I was most concerned about PDF as it's hard to make them accessible. I also don't have an Adobe Acrobat subscription. Here's the walkthrough as shown in the video. I selected item 10 with a white text and lavender background. Venngage reports it's low contrast. I changed it to purple for high contrast. I open File > Accessibility > Check Accessibility to run the accessibility checker. In its accessibility menu, Venngage also has edit tag order, set document language, visual simulator, and show alt text on canvas. Accessibility checker opens on the right and finds eight issues. The first is color contrast. It's the border of the number boxes causing the problem. I fixed it, so it passes color contrast. The alt text for the two images is good. Next is logical reading order. I reviewed the reading order in Tag Order. I drag and drop items to put them in a logical reading order. For instance, the first image appeared lower in the reading order. Now it's at the top right before the title. Next is Headings. I confirmed the title uses H1 while the 10 items use H2. I wasn't sure if the numbers should be H2. What do you think? Use of color and images of text didn't apply. Document title reflects the title. I confirmed the document language is in English. One more check and all the accessibility issues are solved. I used the PDF Accessibility Checker and it passed! I look forward to playing with Venngage more. I've always been terrified of creating PDFs, but Venngage has eased that. It took some work to figure out some of the problems. No accessibility checker can confirm 100% of the accessibility problems. For example, they can't tell you if the alt text is good. Someone could fill the alt text with keywords that have nothing to do with the image. Let me know if you have questions or things you want to know about. 🔔 Tap the silent profile bell to catch the next post 👉 Follow #MerylMots for past posts #Accessibility #Design

So yes, you can pass WCAG AA and still fail to comply with the EAA’s digital product obligations... The EAA goes beyond the technical compliance: it requires products to work seamlessly with assistive technologies and be usable across the full customer lifecycle. Not just pass UI-level checks. It’s not just “can a screen reader access this screen?” It’s “can any user complete the full experience without needing adaptation or assistance?” EAA Compliance also requires organizational readiness: embedding accessibility into company culture and operations. Like we do for privacy and security. Also as pointed out by Piccia Neri in the comments, a small mistake in the article: it says "The EAA is a law". Just remember it's not. It's a European directive that is to be transposed as a law in each country. Big difference as each country will have different nuances in their own local law. WCAG vs EAA: Understanding where WCAG stops and where the EAA starts (8min) by Stark https://lnkd.in/eNJMrmbN

💡Preparing Figma Design For Handoff: Step-by-Step Guide (+ Tools) Design handoff is the process of handing over a finished design for implementation. I’ll explain a handoff in Figma using a simple component like a call to action button. 1️⃣ Functional check ✔ Check all states of the component (i.e., hover, active, disabled, etc.). ✔ Check responsive design (ensure the component doesn’t break when you change its size). ✔ Check how it will be used in the context (ensure it works in user flows as intended). 2️⃣ Layer naming and design tokens assignment ✔ Layers and frames in a component are named clearly and consistently. ✔ Component uses design tokens (e.g., colors, typography, spacing, etc.). No unassigned values for styles used. 🛠 Tools ✔ Check token assignment using Design System Tracker (https://lnkd.in/d2ZMvmM5) by UI Collective 3️⃣ Light and dark modes ✔ Design is available for both light and dark modes. ✔ Visual check design to ensure that all colors, contrasts, and shadows work in both modes. 🛠 Tools ✔ Figma tutorial on creating light and dark modes (https://lnkd.in/davghqaH) 4️⃣ Accessibility check ✔ Run a full accessibility check of the design to ensure proper color contrast ratios, scalable fonts, keyboard navigation paths and screen reader compatibility. ✔ Ensure that design elements meet WCAG 2.1 AA or higher standards for accessibility. 🛠 Tools ✔ Accessibility checklist (https://lnkd.in/dJ3fJWr8) by Nordhealth ✔ Stark UI accessibly checker for Figma, plugin (https://lnkd.in/dXWMhhPJ). Video tutorial on how to use it: https://lnkd.in/dEt_htiA 5️⃣ Design annotations ✔ Add detailed annotations to the design, explaining key interactions, design rationale, and special behaviors for the component. ✔ Highlight edge cases or dynamic behavior that developers should be aware of. 🛠 Tools ✔ Annotation kit for Figma (https://lnkd.in/d65h-cqe) by Michael Riddering ✔ User flows annotation kit (https://lnkd.in/dfA3D67m) by Renata Pôrto 6️⃣ Summary documentation ✔ Provide a concise document summarizing the component and its usage. This should include key design decisions, functional behavior of a component, etc.) ✔ Add a creation/last update data to make it easier to understand when the design was created/updated ✔ Add a version of the component if applicable.  ✔ Links to prototypes or demos if applicable. 🛠 Tools ✔ Design changelog document (https://lnkd.in/dxRcXDf7) by Julien Fovelle 🖼 Design handoff by Zeplin #UI #uidesign #figma #productdesign #ux #handoff #designhandoff

Under-highway areas can be transformed into Green Public Spaces that serve communities, promote walkability, and reconnect the city fabric The lack of accessible outdoor and green public spaces remains a pressing challenge—one increasingly linked to rapid urban expansion and the declining physical and mental well-being of city dwellers. As awareness grows, so too does recognition of the untapped potential in underutilized urban spaces to restore quality of life. Historically, highways were celebrated as infrastructure that connected cities, alleviated traffic congestion, and improved mobility. But today, they are also seen as contributors to pollution, fragmented communities, and environmental disruption. The massive structures often interfere with light, airflow, and overall livability. In particular, the spaces beneath highways are frequently neglected—degraded, inaccessible, and overlooked. Many cities are now re-evaluating the role of these infrastructures. Beneath them lie hidden opportunities: urban spaces with immense potential to be reimagined as inclusive, vibrant, and sustainable public realms. In Bangkok alone, the Expressway Authority of Thailand has identified approximately 1,577 rai (252 hectares) of space beneath highways—equivalent to 4.5 Lumphini Parks—most of which remains vacant or underused. Shma Company Limited sees this not as a challenge, but as an opportunity. These under-highway areas can be transformed into Green Public Spaces that serve communities, promote walkability, and reconnect the city fabric. The studio continues to explore and deliver projects that activate these overlooked zones, bringing new life, functionality, and beauty to the heart of the urban environment. #Shma #LandscapeArchitecture #PublicSpace #UrbanRevitalization #GreenInfrastructure #UrbanDesign #UnderutilizedSpaces #SustainableCities #CommunitySpaces #DesignForPeople #RevitalizeCity

My design passed accessibility checks with 7:1 contrast, while a user measured 3.37:1 on Linkedin. Both of us were right at the end, do you know how? I recently had a very interesting discussion under one of my posts and it turned into a great reminder of how complex accessibility can be in the real world. For the post, I created a graphic and checked that the color contrast of every text element is safely above the 4.5:1 minimum recommended by WCAG. Then a follower commented that some of the text was hard to read on the phone and he shared a screenshot from a contrast checker showing 3.37:1 for one of the colors. That raised an interesting question: how can a design that passes accessibility checks suddenly fail a user? There are several things happening between the moment we design something and the moment someone sees it: 1️⃣ Platform compression When we upload images to social platforms, they are usually compressed automatically to reduce file size. Compression can slightly change colors and blur the edges between text and background. If the contrast was already close to the limit, this can lower the effective contrast. 2️⃣ Image resizing The graphic I designed was quite large, but platforms often resize images for different screens, especially on mobile. When the image becomes smaller: • text strokes become thinner • edges get softened by scaling • readability decreases 3️⃣ Thin fonts + antialiasing Even with sufficient contrast ratios, thin fonts can reduce perceived contrast. When text is scaled or compressed, the browser blends text pixels with the background (antialiasing). That means the visible color becomes a mixture of text and background. Contrast tools inside design software measure pure colors, while the final rendered image contains blended pixels. 4️⃣ Screens and real-world conditions People view content on: • phones in bright daylight • different screen technologies • different brightness levels • sometimes without glasses All of this affects how readable something feels. 5️⃣ Measuring the uploaded image Another important detail: the contrast was checked on a screenshot of the uploaded image, not on the original design. That means the tool measured pixels that were already affected by: • compression • scaling • antialiasing So the measured 3.37:1 might actually be correct for the rendered version of the image. Accessibility does not only happen during design, it also depends on how the design is exported, processed by platforms, and displayed on real devices. That’s why it's helpful to: ✔ aim for contrast higher than the minimum ✔ avoid very thin fonts in images ✔ check the exported file, not only the design tool ✔ test how it looks after uploading to the platform Have you ever experienced something similar where a design technically passed accessibility checks but still caused issues for users? #WebAccessibility #Accessibility #InclusiveDesign #UXDesign #UXAccessibility #WCAG #DesignForAll

Many urban climate strategies operate on a straightforward assumption: adding more greenery will enhance performance. However, this approach often falls short in practice. Vegetation does not scale predictably. A single tree in a poor location cannot compensate for missing canopy, soil volume, or water access elsewhere. Small, disconnected green spaces function as isolated elements with limited impact. This pattern is evident across various cities: • Newly planted trees often see survival rates drop below 50 percent within a few years in certain regions. • Green areas frequently lack adequate soil depth, irrigation, or maintenance planning. • Projects tend to emphasize quantity over strategic placement or long-term functionality. This results in visible efforts but weak outcomes. To achieve better results, consider shifting your approach: • Treat green spaces as infrastructure rather than mere decoration. • Prioritize location, connectivity, and environmental conditions. • Measure survival rates, canopy growth, and cooling impact over time. • Integrate soil, water, and maintenance into every project from the outset. • Use data to inform planting decisions rather than relying solely on visual targets. Cities like #Melbourne and #Singapore exemplify effective strategies. They monitor tree health, canopy cover, and microclimate effects at scale, adjusting planting strategies based on real performance data. More information about the cities is in the comments. Image generated with Midjourney.