In the Act on Revitalization of 9 October 2015, for the first time in Poland, the legal act introduced the necessity to apply the principles of universal design (Article 3 paragraph 2 point 3). The practice of investment processes in crisis areas shows that the requirements set out in the Act are not properly implemented. Regeneration processes require attention to improve the quality of life of residents. The article presents issues related to the implementation of universal design principles during revitalization processes. There is a noticeable lack of interest in this issue despite the fact that it is one of the three tasks set before local governments in the Revitalization Act, after social participation and support for people at risk of exclusion in the area of housing. The reasons for this state should be seen in a small knowledge of the issue, deficiencies in the educational process of designers and poor control on the part of local governments and central authorities. This is due to conservation conditions, which often misinterpret the right to protect cultural heritage. The self-government as its own task should guarantee the possibility of using the positive effects of the revitalization process, in particular the implementation of residents’ rights to an independent and dignifi ed life, which is required by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The matter of the accessibility of the human living environment and adapting it to (often highly diverse) user needs is not new, yet not all of its fields have had proper models and universal design guidelines prepared for them. Open learning and recreation zones that are accessible to all users and which correspond to their various needs are a sign of a new way of thinking about the role of urban spaces. This paper is intended to both familiarise readers with a model solution — Darrell’s Dream Boundless Playground and formulate guidelines that could aid in the construction of new, barrier-free spaces of this type.