Inclusive Public Realm Index (IPRI): A Field Guide for Auditing Humanized Cities

The Inclusive Public Realm Index (IPRI) is a field guide and audit framework for assessing whether public spaces are truly inclusive, usable, safe, comfortable, and humanized in real daily conditions.

The framework responds to the gap between visual public realm improvement and lived usability. It evaluates the public realm as a connected journey across four auditable units: walking segments, crossings, transit stops or waiting areas, and public spaces or destinations.

IPRI uses a two-layer assessment structure. First, each unit is tested against three mandatory Gates: Accessibility, Safety, and Thermal Comfort. If any Gate fails, the unit is recorded as a barrier and does not proceed to quality scoring. Second, units that pass all Gates are assessed across five Quality Pillars: Universal Access, Personal Safety, Thermal and Environmental Comfort, Wayfinding and Legibility, and Operations and Maintenance.

The guide includes both a Rapid Civic Audit for residents, students, volunteers, and non-specialists, and a Comprehensive Technical Audit for urban designers, planners, engineers, municipalities, developers, researchers, and public realm practitioners.

The core principle of IPRI is that a city cannot be considered humanized if it excludes part of its users. In this sense, inclusion is not separate from humanization; it is the condition that makes it meaningful.

Version 00 represents the first public edition of the framework, released for professional, academic, and public-interest review.