Universal and Inclusive Design Standards for Housing
Explore the origins of universal design and the role of universal/inclusive design in housing today.
About the live course
Join us for an insightful webinar exploring the origins of universal design and the role of universal/inclusive design in housing today. The continued growth in the number of older adults in the U.S. won’t peak until after the middle of this century. This has caused advocates, designers, and policymakers to reconsider housing accessibility provisions that were derived in the 20th century (responding to the surge in the numbers of people with disabilities) and to look anew at improving the range of housing options for older adults across all housing typologies. This session will explore the sometimes-confusing nomenclature of universal design and will look at innovative design approaches in the multifamily sector as well as 1-3 family housing.
- Gain insights into the concept of universal design and how it arose from decades of work on accessible design standards.
- Understand the demographic underpinnings of the 20th and 21st centuries, which continue to drive novel ideas in housing to better accommodate our changing society.
- Learn about specific housing design strategies and home features that will look good, work well, and be marketable to a broad audience.
- Explore the distinctions between accessible design, universal design, inclusive design, age-friendly design, and more.
The webinar is part of a series produced by the AIA Right-to-Housing Working Group. In each episode, we ask: “What does the right to housing mean in practice?” and “How can architects contribute?”
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