18279267 Bana Class Research

Question 1a Humanities

The current growing proportion of elderly people in the world has encouraged new design of built
environments to adapt to the global demographic change, understanding the social consequences of
this on society. Many developed countries have created strategies to manage this situation through
environmental design for the ageing population. This essay will show that some current approaches
to create the design of built environments for elderly people, such as accessible buildings,
transportation and sidewalks, based on the concept of ageing in place, have been quite effective in
developed countries, in particular, the United States and Australia. Lastly, this essay will focus on
further steps that could be taken to improve the sustainability of these facilities, such as promoting
urban design with zoning and infrastructure adapts, along with the adoption of effective policies to
support those approaches.

Due to the growing proportion of the aging population, the concept of ageing in place has been
used to base other environmental improvements for elderly people. On the last years the trend of
ageing in place which refers to people living and ageing in their communities or homes with their
family members to take care them has been raised (Yen & Anderson, 2012); (Farrelly, 2014);
(Durrett ,2009). Because of this, Yen and Anderson (2012) argue that it is necessary to adopt design
environments, developing good design of sidewalks, accessible buildings, parks and transportation
where seniors live to support the safety, mobility and wellbeing of the elderly population as long as
possible for they feel confident and comfortable. Moreover, houses must have architectural features
adapted to aging people daily needs (Farrelly, 2014). In addition, because of this trend of ageing in
place, some policies have been created, such as The National Prevention Strategy in the United
States, which focuses on health and safe through environment supporting for older people in aging
in place and give assistance to them contributing to their mental and emotional health (Yen &
Anderson, 2012. Considering the idea of ageing in place to support the community as it grows
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older, making homes accessible and encourage social inclusion of seniors is an important issue to
take with, because, according to Farrelly (2014), it is a responsibility of society to provide solutions
for aging people. Thus, the concept of ageing in place has been considered an effective trend
which has leading the creation of design strategies to support the older adults who want age in their
houses or their neighborhood.

One example of contemporary architectural approach for elderly people in developed countries have
been to promote accessible buildings. Solutions in residential design have included more flexible
open space, ramps, lifts, first-floor bedrooms, slip-resistant flooring and lever-based handles
(Farrelly, 2014). Furthermore, as Lehning (2011) states, many architectural features have been
required by governments in the United States through federal policies related to housing, created to
improve the sustainability of these facilities, such as the Fair Housing Amendments of 1988, which
include accessible features, for example, wide entrances and interior doors, accessible light
switches. Furthermore, adopting these measures, according to Lehning (2011), incorporating
accessibility features in houses, can cause positives effects in elderly people and may be associated
with a lower risk of health problems, slower decline independence and reduced health care costs.
The main proposal of these environmental approaches for older people is associated with physical
and social functioning reasons. As a consequence of the elderly daily needs is important to address
these physical facilities to improve the infrastructure in buildings to give them support and to
promote the sustainability of these facilities. In brief, current building designs for housing have
been enhanced in developed countries, such as United States, where environmental measures for
adapting architectural features on house for elderly people live have been taken by the government
understanding that these approaches bring positive effects on older people heathy.

Another positive strategy to improve the walkability of elderly people on streets is developing
accessible sidewalks. Even though the physical environment of many cities in developed countries
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presents physical barriers to elder health that difficult their mobility, on the last years innovative
policies and programs have been raised up to contribute to elders walkability. As Rosenberg, Huang,
Simonovich and Belza (2013) state, problems with sidewalk pavement, puddles, poor drainage, curb
ramps and narrow sidewalks are considered environmental barriers to older adults with mobility
disabilities. As a result of this, current strategies in Naples, Florida (USA) have aimed the health
and mobility needs of older adults building sidewalks through The Environment Protection Agency
that work for environment improvements in communities to promote accessibility of these facilities
for aging people (Kerr, Rosenberg & Frank, 2012). Despite the environmental barriers identified
that affect the mobility of older people, some approaches have been taken to adapt them for elderly
needs through advocacy initiatives in The United States. In conclusion, accessible sidewalks are
necessary to improve the walkability of older people and understand that environmental barriers
should be overcome to achieve this approach with the aid of public support.

Promoting accessible transportation can be another essential design of built environment approach
for the ageing population. This environment approach can affect positively or negatively the social
life of older people. As Kerr, Rosenberg and Frank (2012) explain, seniors can become less social
because of physical environments does not provide them accessible walking or accessible public
transportation. According to Farrelly (2014), recent studies in Brisbane, Australia, indicate that the
period of time that many seniors spend walking between home and bus stop is directly associated to
the quality of the pedestrian infrastructure and, as a consequence, it has discouraged older people
from using public transport in that city. This is an evidence that environment improvements on
sidewalks and other features which are related to elderly mobility on streets must be the first
enhancement to linked it to accessible transportation. By virtue of this, Kerr, Rosenberg and Frank
(2012) advice that transit stops planned for older people use should be comfortable places to sit,
including shelter from moody weather, for example. On the other hand, Lehning (2011) shows that
in United States most of older has used car, with 75% as the driver and 18% as a passenger. As a
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consequence, in U.S., policies and programs have been created to give support to older adults safely
operating their own vehicle, promoting approaches, such as improving the visibility of street signs
and simplifying street intersections (Lehning, 2011). In summary, senior mobility must be an
important consideration for community design and it is associated to accessible transportation
which should be adapted to seniors comfortable and improvements on streets features need to help
older adults drive safely.

Despite of current approaches to the design of built environments for the ageing population, it is
important address the further steps to improve the sustainability of these facilities such as promoting
urban design with zoning and infrastructure adapts. Contemporary ideas for housing must include
the third age in this built environment process that has implications in a bigger scale as a
community. As Lehning (2011) states, in the United States the community design that separates
residential and commercial areas has been seen as a physical environment barrier because it has
limited accessible housing, transportation services and, as a consequence, the ability to age in place.
In addition, the same research made in U.S. suggests some measure that could be taken to enhance
the physical environments for aging population such as mixed use and walkable neighborhoods,
mixed use and walkable neighborhoods are related to increased physical activities of their daily
living (Lehning, 2011). Another important point that should be considered to plan further steps to
enhance architectural environments, according to Harootyan (1988), older persons are more likely
to live in older homes built 30 to 40 years ago, but these homes need to be environments features
adapted to become safer for these people. This last evidence can lead to a new question related to
ageing population well-being, owing to the fact that those people maybe prefer few environment
advances in their homes instead of houses with new or high technology architectural features. In
summary, the further steps to design built environments in a urban scale to increased physical
activity, also architectural environment approaches for elderly people should consider social and
personal factors to promote their welfare adapting their old houses to give support to them.
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Another step that could be taken to improve the sustainability of these current environmental
approaches for older people is adoption of effective policies to support those approaches. According
to Lehning (2011), a study made in the United States suggest that advocacy has been a successful
approach to foster the adoption of these facilities by city government and show in the same survey
that effective advocacy strategies have had elderly citizen participation, who has aimed important
resolutions makers within government focusing on city improvements for their aging residents.
Therefore, in the United States, innovative policies have raised up some further steps, such as
zoning and infrastructure adapts that could permit older adults to live on their community, develop
an assortment of transportation and mobility options, and create a diversity of housing supports for
elderly people (Lehning, 2011). On the last decades, national initiatives by some organizations in
the U.S. have achieved positive effects through plans such as Healthy People 2020 which has
assumed policy and environmental results creating social and physical environments that give
support to older adults well-being focusing on benefits of physical activity of them (Yen &
Anderson, 2012). These government policies and effective advocacy strategies on community can
support the sustainability of current approaches and new strategies to enhance the design of build
environments adapted for aging people. Furthermore, adopting advocacy has seemed an effective
strategy to encourage city government promote design environments innovations for elderly
benefits. In short, adopting effective public policies and advocacy related to environmental
solutions for older people has been a positive measure in cities of the United States, also these
strategies have fostered elderly resident participation on important decisions targeting overcome
current barriers to improve the sustainability of these facilities.

In conclusion, due to the contemporary aging population, the challenge has been developed
approaches to the design of built environments for this growing ageing population and to find out
how to create and adapt environments to facilitate the wellbeing and positive health of the elderly
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persons. On the last years developed countries, such as Australia and United States have created
some strategies to manage this situation and they have been adopted the concept of ageing in place
to encourage new design environments, such as accessible buildings, sidewalks and transportation
in neighborhoods to support their safety and mobility. Also solutions in residential design have
included more flexible open space, ramps, lifts, first-floor bedrooms, slip-resistant flooring and
lever-based handles. Another positive current strategy to improve the walkability of elderly people
on streets has been promoting accessible sidewalks which must be the first enhancement to linked it
to accessible transportation. In addition, some measures taken in U.S. to enhance the physical
environments for aging population have include mixed use and walkable neighborhoods, mixed use
and walkable neighborhoods. Moreover, some national initiatives in the U.S. have achieved positive
effects through some policies that have created social and physical environments approaches to
promote older adults well-being and benefits of physical activity of them. Maybe, in the future,
more innovative technologies facilities could be applied in buildings and urban features to make
easier the elderly life.

Reference List

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Durrett, C. (2009). The senior cohousing handbook: A community approach to independent living.
New Society Publishers: New York.
Farrelly, Lorraine (2014). Designing for the Third Age: Architecture Redefined for a Generation of
Active Agers AD. Hoboken: Wiley.
Harootyan, R. (1988). Improving Environmental Design Technologies for the Elderly. American
Behavioral Scientist, 31(5), 607-613. DOI: 10.1177/0002764288031005010
Kerr, J., Rosenberg, D., & Frank, L. (2012). The role of the built environment in healthy aging
community design, physical activity, and health among older adults. Journal of Planning
Literature, 27(1), 43-60. DOI: 10.1177/0885412211415283
Lehning, A. J. (2012). City governments and aging in place: community design, transportation and
housing innovation adoption. The Gerontologist, 52(3), 345-356. DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnr089
Rosenberg, D. E., Huang, D. L., Simonovich, S. D., & Belza, B. (2012). Outdoor built environment
barriers and facilitators to activity among midlife and older adults with mobility disabilities.
The Gerontologist, gns119. DOI: 10.1093/geront/gns119
Yen, I. H., & Anderson, L. A. (2012). Built environment and mobility of older adults: important
policy and practice efforts. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 60(5), 951-956.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2012.03949.x