What do you believe made your city stand out and win the third-place Access City Award?

In our eyes, Ljubljana stood out and won the Access City Award three times – third place twice and second place once – due to the attention given to the needs of all citizens, including persons with disabilities and to environmental sustainability. This has successfully transformed it into one of the most pleasant cities to live in and visit. The image of a Ljubljana that is accessible to all comes from the successful establishment of the city centre’s ecological zone in 2007.  
The perspective of a city serving people tremendously improved equal access and made it possible for people to be continuously better integrated. All together accessibility is our everyday work and pleasure because we believe that a city that is friendly to the most vulnerable, is a city friendly to all.

What are your city’s long-term objectives in the field of accessibility?

The question of accessibility is an ongoing one in Ljubljana. We are committed to maintaining our policy model that prioritises accessibility as a key indicator of quality of life. This helps us ensure that measures in special city actions and strategic plans, when implemented, are evaluated consistently.
Alongside managing existing arrangements and initiatives, our plan, moving forward, is to put more efforts in making the buildings and services of private entities more accessible.
Finally, we will strive to make the city more accessible to persons with less visible and invisible disabilities. Their needs must be addressed by adapting the content, communication, and information offered by the city.

Why do you believe accessibility should be a priority for any city?

For cities that strive for the well-being of their residents and visitors, accessibility is certainly one of the most important issues. Accessibility, to us, means being inclusive and open to all, cultivating solidarity, tolerance, and acceptance of differences. Working on the accessibility of a city also greatly contributes to raising awareness and changing public attitudes towards those most vulnerable in our society.

Do you have any advice to other cities looking to become more accessible?

When talking about transforming cities to be accessible and friendly to all, a strong political will has to be present. The Mayor of the City of Ljubljana, Zoran Janković, in position since 2006, recognizes and promotes the importance of accessibility as a key indicator of quality of life in the city. As such, city services are required to prioritise accessibility and ensure the protection of all citizens, including persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. Additionally, we are implementing further changes together with colleagues with disabilities. They are the ones who know the most about accessibility issues and they can lead us to better accessibility with their proposals. This cooperation truly helps us develop services meeting their needs.