tandards in their building codes, including Chicago, Naperville, Bolingbrook, and Urbana in Illinois, Atlanta, Georgia, and Pima County, Arizona and states Vermont, Texas, and Kansas.
Universal design and visitability have sustainable properties whose time has come. It is imperative for us to plan and adapt to the future population’s demographic diversity and the expected increase in intensity and frequency of storms, floods, droughts, and heat waves that accompany climate change. Retirees with diverse backgrounds could contribute to a check list for building for all ages. Retired architects may also provide thoughtful insight into building for the long run instead of planning for retrofitting when the original design no longer benefits the user and becomes a barrier. We have much to draw from with our growing resource of retirees and senior entrepreneurs, with their experience, ingenuity, and wisdom. Sustainable design can be the fabric and environment for our future lives if we listen to the people and world around us.
“I never design a building before I’ve seen the site and met the people who will be using it.” Frank Lloyd Wright
Kathy Sykes serves at the U.S. EPA as Senior Advisor for Aging and Sustainability and a fellow with the Gerontological Society of America. Previously she held senior positions with the U.S. Special Committee on Aging, Congressman Obey, and NIOSH. She received a master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
1. http://www.ncsu.edu/project/design-projects/udi/center-for-universal-design/history-of-universal-design retrieved on May 14, 2013.
2. Smith, Stanley K., Rayer, Stefan and Smith, Eleanor A. (2008) ‘Aging and Disability: Implications for the Housing Industry and Housing Policy in the United States’, Journal of the American Planning Association, 74:3, 289 — 306
3. http://concretechange.org/ retrieved on May 14, 2013.
7. http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/dlashof/post.html retrieved on May 20, 2013
8. Local and State Legislation: Visitability. Complied by Doug Farquhar, J.D., The National Conference of State Legislatures retrieved on May 17, 2013
Featured image courtesy of Engage, Inc.