Monday, February 23, 2009

Universal design concepts making the news

A story in The Washington Post Feb. 21 talks about the importance of homes that people can grow old in. "One of the unwritten tragedies of the current housing price collapse is that for a host of reasons [e.g., money, job security, depreciated properties], a higher share of older Americans will be 'forced' to age in place, who might otherwise have considered alternative housing arrangements," Stephen Golant, a gerontologist and geographer who teaches at the University of Florida, said in The Post.

A story in The Daily Herald in Chicago Feb. 21 writes about integrated design, also known as universal remodeling. "What universal remodeling looks at is not only the aging thing, but to make a home accessible, not medicinal," Dan Taddei, director of education and certification for the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, said in The Herald. "It also means that a remodeler can work with a client that has special needs."