Reframing Urban Accessibility Through Universal Design: A Critical Review with Case Insights from Kaimakli Linear Park

This paper presents a critical review of urban accessibility frameworks, standards, and implementation challenges, grounded in the principles of Universal Design (UD), Social Inclusion Theory, and Sustainable Urbanism. Drawing upon global guidelines, regulatory instruments, and recent academic discourse, it identifies common gaps between accessibility policy and the lived realities of urban space users. This paper integrates these insights with an applied case study of Kaimakli Linear Park in Nicosia, Cyprus—an observational field audit and stakeholder interview series that illustrates the practical challenges of implementing inclusive design in legacy urban environments. Key barriers identified include inconsistent application of design standards, limited tactile and sensory guidance, inadequate mobility infrastructure, and insufficient stakeholder coordination. The case is not offered as a statistically generalizable sample but as an illustrative microcosm of systemic accessibility deficits. This integrative approach offers a framework for diagnosing spatial exclusion in public parks and provides cost-effective, policy-aligned strategies for inclusive urban transformation.