Although the origin of the term ‘design’ comes from the applied world of industrial product design where ‘user testing’ was already part of the industrial production process, it is thanks to the pioneering work of Ronald Mace (1985) that the term design has been reconceptualised as a domain and discipline-independent process, applicable to any product, space or service. In addition, by using the term ‘universal’ Mace implies that any product, space or service should meet the needs, preferences and expectations of real human beings in specific contexts. Mace introduced a core conceptual and methodological shift: the notion that design should address the multiplicity of human beings, not an idealised standard: ‘Universal design is design that’s usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialised design’. It is clear from the definition that ‘universal’ is intended to embrace human diversity, and is therefore the opposite of the one-size-fits-all approach.

Modern conceptualisations of human diversity highlight the importance of the relational and dynamic nature of human-context interactions across the different domains of human functioning, activities and participation (ICF-WHO, 2001). The multi-dimensional nature of environmental factors (see the range of ICF Environmental Chapters, encompassing the human, built and natural environment) and the complexity of human-environment interaction, necessarily require a multi-disciplinary and multi- scale approach to design if they are to achieve inclusion. It is within this conceptual framework that both the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD, 2006, Art 4f), together with the subsequent UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, promote Universal Design as the optimum approach to ensure that all human beings, including people with disabilities, can enjoy fundamental rights and freedoms (EU Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021–2030).

The force of UD as a discipline-independent philosophy and approach is precisely what we need to transcend the boundaries between academic disciplines and separations which currently exist between communities of knowledge and communities of practice. One way to foster cross-disciplinary encounters and dialogue is to create opportunities and formats that allow academic, governmental and professional communities to come together. This is the tradition of the Universal Design conferences, started in 2012, the last edition of which took place in Italy in 2022.

In addition to the main thematic sessions, UD 2022 offered several informal and semi-formal occasions for discussion and debate. This volume gives value to the outcomes of these sessions. Authors were invited to submit papers that presented real case studies, with the request that they discuss not only the opportunities and strengths, but also the challenges encountered when implementing Universal Design in different domains. During the mini-sessions (in the form of science cafes) authors had the benefit of being able to present their studies to a wider audience, promoting an enriching exchange of views for both speakers and listeners. These papers form the first part of this volume.

The second part of the volume includes scholarly essays by researchers who have worked on different aspects of Universal Design over the years. Although working in different fields, they share a UD framework and philosophy. We asked each of them to contribute their theoretical, philosophical, and methodological essay from the perspective of their own research strand within UD.

The publication was financed by a contribution from the University of Trieste_FRA (University Research Funds) 2022 and with funds from the Research Programme Project: ‘Observatory for the analysis and monitoring of the quality of the Plans for the Elimination of Architectural Barriers, aimed at the construction and adoption of a structured methodology for the analysis and monitoring of the quality of PEBAs, for convergence to the general accessibility mapping system and support for the actions provided by LR 10/2018’, funded by the FVG Region – Public Works and Buildings, Policy Service for Urban Regeneration, Housing Quality and Education Infrastructure Area.