The inclusion of all people in local political and urban planning decision-making is one of the foundations of local democracy. This briefing paper examines a simple transferable methodology for assessing the usability of our city spaces for persons with functional variation. The focus is on the everyday experiences as people use the city in their normal lives. The research is based on three case studies – but in principle the same methodology could be used in other municipalities and country contexts. By direct observation of city spaces and working directly with persons with functional variation, we can gain insight into how well our efforts to make our cities accessible for all are working.