# Auditing Accessibility of Pavements and Points of Interest in Urban Areas: The 'Seek & Go' Tool +
## 1 Introduction  
Citizens within a society, regardless of their physical or mental abilities, often encounter social exclusion, with a prominent form being the denial or non-realization of citizenship rights [1]. Territorial factors and especially accessibility (i.e., transport, communications) are fundamental in comprehending social exclusion in modern societies [1]. To this effect, limited accessibility features and amenities, particularly in urban environments, could lead to the marginalization or mobility-related social exclusion of individuals with physical impairment [2; 3; 4]. The term \"accessibility\" denotes the features of an environment that allows all citizens, without any discrimination (e.g., age, gender), to be able to use and access the infrastructures [5] independently, comfortably, and safely. In the latter context, infrastructure refers to digital and physical counterparts (i.e., conventional and electronic installations). Indicatively, accessibility is pertinent to public infrastructure and spaces, transportation means, communication, signage, services, and goods [6; 4]. In this vein, accessibility is an overarching concept affecting most aspects of everyday life. Overall, accessibility implies that physical and digital infrastructure are specially designed and managed so that all society members can access and use it in a safe andcomfortable manner [7, 8, 9]. Accessibility also implies the proper design and analysis of all structures and facilities so that individuals can autonomously access them, ensuring mobility across infrastructure networks. Accessibility is fundamental for structured environments, allowing the inclusion of citizens by enabling access and usage of buildings, facilities, and public spaces [5]. Within urban environments, accessibility must ensure an individual's participation in social and economic activities [7], regardless of any form of limited autonomy (e.g., children, older adults, and disabled people). Ensuring that all citizens are provided with the same and equal opportunities to move and access urban environments, public participation can be achieved, and social inclusion for all can be ensured. An individual's participation in society is intimately associated with the human right to social integration and identity, a certain standard of living, and respect [10]. Internationally, communities around the globe have recognized the significance of accessibility for the last three decades. Notably, Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities coins the concept of accessibility, advocating that, _\"...States Parties shall take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications, including information and communications technologies and systems, and to other facilities and services open or provided to the public, both in urban and in rural areas\"_[11]. Specifically, the U.S. Access Board updated the design guidelines that cover access requirements of facilities for people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act [12]. In Greece, the New Building Code/Regulation (Law 4067/2012) mandates that new building permits are accompanied by an accessibility study, while existing facilities must be modified to ensure accessibility to disabled people [13]. In this regard, most organized communities have introduced standards, necessary provisions, and special design rules on accessible infrastructure. The latter has been recognized as an essential element towards sustainable regional development, as accessibility improves individuals' quality of life and makes urban environments more habitable [14]. Societies' inability to effectively tackle barriers, design effective social policies, and provide training to foster accessibility is inextricably linked to poor urban planning and inadequate infrastructure development strategies [5]. Subsequently, disabled people become vulnerable to escalating inequalities.