Pagendam, Isobel Sophia;
(2024)
Standardising the vertical city: exploring the politics of lift accessibility standards.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Through close attention to the lift engineer and the standards that they use, this thesis addresses a highly limited focus on the space of the lift in urban studies – despite the central role they have played in the growth of modern cities such as London. Interrogating the significance of standards to the design, installation, and maintenance of lifts, the research focuses on BS EN 81-70, the European lift accessibility standard, established to provide the minimum requirements that a lift should meet to be accessed autonomously by all. The thesis uses a combination of qualitative methods, including interviews with lift professionals, archival research, as well as supplementary participant observation through field visits in London. It argues, firstly, that there needs to be greater emphasis on lift standards in the design and maintenance of the built environment and their relationship with efforts at creating more inclusive experiences. Secondly, through its close focus on standards, it highlights the complexities, histories, and otherwise non-standardness of lift standards and regulation, recognising the importance of engaging with their wider contradictions and grey zones. While this thesis will make important contributions to empirical studies of the lift, it will also contribute to an emerging body of work on urban standards, foregrounding what a study of standards can more widely reveal about the politics of the built environment.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Standardising the vertical city: exploring the politics of lift accessibility standards |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2024. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of Geography |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10195641 |
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