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What do Lombardy’s guidelines require for PEBA plans?

PEBA plans in Lombardy: the regional guidelines through a Design for All lens

With Regional Government Resolution (DGR) XI/5555 of 2021, Lombardy asked municipalities for PEBA plans that are participatory from the outset, explicitly adopting the Design for All approach. What the plan is, what the guidelines say, what funding the Region has provided and how to work on a PEBA that starts from people.

· updated 6 min read

A magnifying glass over a page of an English dictionary, above the entry “discrimination”. Black-and-white photograph.

The PEBA, the Plan for the Elimination of Architectural Barriers (Piano per l’eliminazione delle barriere architettoniche), is the tool with which an Italian municipality surveys the barriers in public buildings and spaces and schedules the work to remove them. The obligation has existed since 1986 (Law 41/1986, Article 32) and was extended to urban spaces by Law 104/1992, but many municipalities have never adopted a plan. With Regional Government Resolution (DGR) XI/5555 of 23 November 2021, the Lombardy Region gave municipalities technical guidelines and, from 2023, funding to draw up their plans.

What a PEBA is

PEBA stands for “Piano per l’eliminazione delle barriere architettoniche”, the Plan for the Elimination of Architectural Barriers. The 1986 law that introduced the obligation for public administrations, municipalities included (Article 32, paragraph 21, of Law 41/1986 (opens in a new tab)), later extended to urban spaces by Article 24, paragraph 9, of Law 104/1992 (opens in a new tab), did not achieve the hoped-for results, and many municipalities have no plan. Most probably, the reasons lie in the lack of the technical guidance administrations needed to draw them up. In Lombardy, the regional basis for PEBA plans is Regional Law 6/1989.

The Lombardy Region guidelines (DGR 5555/2021)

On 23 November 2021, with DGR No. XI/5555 (opens in a new tab), the Lombardy Region adopted the new regional guidelines for drawing up PEBA plans.

With the new guidelines, the Lombardy Region brings about a radical change of paradigm. It is no longer only a matter of removing architectural barriers, but of combining accessible design with the social inclusion of citizens, environmental well-being and the liveability of public space. What is more, it innovates the procedure by following the Design for All approach, and says so explicitly: “Following the Design for All approach indicated by the European Community, a process that is participatory from the outset is recommended, capable of involving all actors – decision-makers and stakeholders” (our translation) (Guidelines, Introduction).

In this way, the aim is to move beyond a merely bureaucratic approach and to structure interventions for the community with a view to improving quality of life. Not only for people with disabilities, but also to guarantee mobility and the use of routes between the places of greatest interest (places for social, health, historical and cultural, sports, leisure and educational services). An opportunity to renew the appeal of local areas and promote their economy and tourism.

Regional funding for municipalities

Since 2023 the Region has also supported the drafting of plans. With DGR XI/7800 of 23 January 2023 it funded municipalities with up to 20,000 inhabitants, through the provinces and the Metropolitan City of Milan, using resources from the Ministerial Decree of 10 October 2022; with DGR XII/3343 of 11 November 2024 it extended the measure to municipalities with up to 70,000 inhabitants, excluding those already funded and giving priority to those with between 5,000 and 20,000 inhabitants (Lombardy Region PEBA page (opens in a new tab)). The conditions were set by each province: the Province of Sondrio’s 2025 call (opens in a new tab), for example, covered 60% of expenditure up to €6,000, with PEBA plans to be approved and reported on by 30 September 2026.

The national framework within which the plans sit is described in the article on Law 13 and the removal of architectural barriers; the extraordinary funding of recent years in the article on the PNRR and accessibility.

What the Design for All approach changes

The change introduced by the guidelines concerns the process before the content. A PEBA developed through a Design for All lens starts with people: it involves them from the outset, with their different abilities, to decide together which routes really matter, linking places for social and health services, schools, culture and sport. The technical survey neither precedes listening nor replaces it: it tests what people have said, and measures what the community has identified as a priority. The process is not linear: priorities are checked and corrected at every step.

How to work on a participatory PEBA

Design for All Italia examines the Lombardy guidelines on a dedicated in-depth page (opens in a new tab).

The same process was followed by Design for All Italia, with the Department of Architecture of the University of Ferrara, for the Bologna Civic Museums (Musei Civici di Bologna) (opens in a new tab): 12 museum sites, more than 10 Co-Design workshops with more than 150 participants, more than 1,200 requirements collected, traced back to some 400 needs and organised into 6 thematic and operational areas, from which came the design guidelines and the plans for the elimination of barriers drawn up in accordance with the Ministry’s directives for cultural venues. It is an example from outside Lombardy, but it shows how a participatory plan translates listening into priorities and progressive actions. In Bologna the plan was written last, after training, observation and listening: we explain why in Bologna Civic Museums: the need before the building.

The studio supports public authorities and designers with its Design for All and Inclusive Design consultancy and its Design for All services; its completed projects are the evidence.

For more information on the guidelines, you can read the full article by the association LEDHA (opens in a new tab).

Frequently asked questions

What is a PEBA?

The Plan for the Elimination of Architectural Barriers is the tool with which a municipality surveys the barriers in public buildings and spaces and schedules the work to remove them. The obligation has existed since 1986 (Law 41/1986) and was extended to urban spaces by Law 104/1992.

Do the Lombardy guidelines mention Design for All?

Yes. The introduction to the guidelines (DGR XI/5555/2021) recommends, “following the Design for All approach indicated by the European Community” (our translation), a process that is participatory from the outset, involving decision-makers and stakeholders.

Does the Lombardy Region fund the drafting of PEBA plans?

It has done so since 2023, through the provinces and the Metropolitan City of Milan: first for municipalities with up to 20,000 inhabitants (DGR XI/7800), then up to 70,000 inhabitants, excluding those already funded (DGR XII/3343). The conditions were set by the provincial calls.

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