Sensible Design: Creating Spaces for Sensory Wellness and Belonging - Hardcover

Catalano, Serida Lucrezia; Pineda, Victor Santiago

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 3032103657 ISBN 13: 9783032103659

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2026

Synopsis

This book blends theory, practice, and international standards to introduce a new paradigm that extends Universal Design to fully embrace the wide spectrum of human sensory experiences and preferences. It provides a comprehensive roadmap for creating environments that are not only accessible but also emotionally and psychologically restorative, life-enhancing, and attuned to the breadth of human sensory perception.

Showcasing practical strategies for architects, planners, designers, policymakers, organizational leaders, and educators, each chapter offers rich visual case studies and actionable tools, making this volume both a scholarly resource and a practical guide. Sensible designers are encouraged to shape spaces that cultivate emotional resonance and well-being—amid the rise of climate change, intelligent systems, and the profound transformations reshaping society. An essential resource for professionals and students in design, architecture, planning, disability studies, and public policy, Sensible Design speaks to anyone committed to shaping sensory-responsive environments and advancing a future where belonging and human connection are at the center of the built world.

About this title

About the Author

Serida L. Catalano is a distinguished scholar and practitioner in public policy and inclusive design, with a focus on accessibility and neurodiversity. She has spearheaded policies and initiatives with governments, organizations, and cities worldwide to advance equity, inclusive innovation, and sustainable development.

Victor S. Pineda is a leading scholar, practitioner, and investor on disability justice and human rights. A two-time presidential appointee and advisor to the United Nations, he pioneers inclusive design strategies that advance belonging and human potential in the age of artificial intelligence and climate change.

From the Back Cover

This book sets a new benchmark for inclusive workplace design, offering practical insights and strategies to support neurodiversity and sensory-friendly environments. An essential resource for forward-thinking organizations that seek to center the sensory in their design decision-making and understand the upstream values of doing so. It provides both evidence and examples of built environments that we need to spatialize these values. 
Magda Mostafa, PhD, Author of the Autism ASPECTSS^TM Design Index and Co-Founding Principal of StudioTM

This book blends theory, practice, and international standards to introduce a new paradigm that extends Universal Design to fully embrace the wide spectrum of human sensory experiences and preferences. It provides a comprehensive roadmap for creating environments that are not only accessible but also emotionally and psychologically restorative, life-enhancing, and attuned to the breadth of human sensory perception.

Showcasing practical strategies for architects, planners, designers, policymakers, organizational leaders, and educators, each chapter offers rich visual case studies and actionable tools, making this volume both a scholarly resource and a practical guide. Sensible designers are encouraged to shape spaces that cultivate emotional resonance and well-being—amid the rise of climate change, intelligent systems, and the profound transformations reshaping society. An essential resource for professionals and students in design, architecture, planning, disability studies, and public policy, Sensible Design speaks to anyone committed to shaping sensory-responsive environments and advancing a future where belonging and human connection are at the center of the built world.

Serida L. Catalano is a distinguished scholar and practitioner in public policy and inclusive design, with a focus on accessibility and neurodiversity. She has spearheaded policies and initiatives with governments, organizations, and cities worldwide to advance equity, inclusive innovation, and sustainable development.

Victor S. Pineda is a leading scholar, practitioner, and investor on disability justice and human rights. A two-time presidential appointee and advisor to the United Nations, he pioneers inclusive design strategies that advance belonging and human potential in the age of artificial intelligence and climate change.

 

Edition details

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3032103657
• ISBN 13: 9783032103659
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 257