Category: Housing research

Politicians and planners make frequent calls for older Australians to give up their three bedroom homes to make way for “working families”. They expect them to move into apartments. But is urban density the answer? Regardless of the ageist inference that older people are “hogging all the houses”, with the political focus on working families, little room is left to discuss the housing needs of older cohorts. 

Research by Bruce Judd on downsizing found the majority of older people want to stay put, not move into apartments. But there still remains the question, will these homes support them in their latter years?  Within the older cohorts the number of people with dementia is expected to rise significantly, but not much thought has been given to their housing needs.

An article, Housing and age friendly communities policies for future direction – A stepped approach puts the spotlight on this issue. Participants in the study were representatives from peak housing organisations, including strata managers, and advocacy organisations to assess how well their membership were prepared for this group. 

The article comes from the International Research Forum on Multi-owned Properties Deakin University, Melbourne 9-10th February 2017.

The picture was taken in Dubai, UAE. 

Older home-owners need their space

This is a major work by Bruce Judd, Diana Olsberg, Joanne Quinn and Oya Demirbilek (2010). It challenges the often held assumption that older people are “taking up space” in big houses that they no longer need – assumptions that their homes are “underoccupied”.

This qualitative research shows a very different picture. When people retire, they typically spend more time at home (about 85% of their time), so it makes sense to have “spare” space for home activities, including accommodating family members who live away and come to visit. So downsizing isn’t the answer for everyone.

Download the full report, Dwelling, land and neighbourhood use by older home owners, or the slideshow presentation from a NSW AHURI seminar.  

Housing aspirations of older Australians

Three bedrooms and urban living are what most older people want. These are two of the key findings in a new Australian report from AHURI. Age specific housing is not a preference. So researchers suggest more innovation to attract the older cohort so they can age in place after all.

There was no mention of universally designed homes so that age-specific housing doesn’t become the only option. There was only a brief mention of homes being adaptable. 

The title of the research paper is, Older Australians and the housing aspirations gap. There are three separate documents: an Executive Summary and a Policy Evidence Summary. The full report is also available from the AHURI website.

What do government representatives think is the best way to supply homes suitable for people with disability? Mandating accessible features in all new mainstream housing is the way to go. That means both owners and renters would benefit. Plus accessible housing would suit ageing in place and not be detrimental to the rest of the population.

This 2017 research is one of many studies that found that universally designed homes is good for everyone. While government representatives support the evidence, politicians might have other ideas. The 2022 National Construction Code incorporated basic access standards for all new builds. However, states have either been against the features entirely, delayed adoption, or watered them down when adopting them. 

This research was specific to Australia’s National Disability Strategy, but the findings on housing design share similar responses found in other research. There is little benefit in segregated “disability housing”, but much to gain from housing that also suits people with disability.

The title of the article is, Government perspectives on housing, technology and support design within Australia’s National Disability Strategy. It is also available on ResearchGate or the Wiley online library.  

There is much more to this study which includes inclusive communities, integrated technology and transportation.

From the abstract

Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a significant disability reform and part of a 10‐year National Disability Strategy. The new Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) framework, aims to deliver housing responses that positively influence NDIS participant outcomes.

This study gathered perspectives of government disability and housing representatives about opportunities for Australians with disability. Four  research questions related to to built design; integrated technologies; the relationship between housing and support provision; and community precinct design.

Nineteen government representatives from seven of the eight Australian jurisdictions participated in a focus group in Melbourne, in March 2017.  Twelve themes were identified in response to the research questions. Key policy and practice implications were highlighted.

This research offers insights from government that can contribute to strategic housing, technology, support and community design decisions. 

2022 Update: The 2022 NCC Livable Housing Design Standard is freely available.

Home Coming? Yes it’s possible 

This article was written when the Australian Building Codes Board called for responses to their Options Paper on Accessible Housing in 2017. Using facts and figures, she challenges the many false assumptions that the industry and others hold about the need for universal design in housing. She also covers assumptions about costs. So yes, it’s possible.

The title of Penny’s paper presented at the recent UD Conference in Ireland is, Home Coming? A Story of Reassurance, Opportunity and Hope for Universally Designed Housing in Australia.

From the abstract

Housing is complex yet it is the lynch-pin for achieving economic, social and human rights imperatives. In October 2017, a regulatory impact assessment was commissioned to consider Livable Housing Australia’s Silver and Gold standards, for inclusion in the National Construction Code.

A substantial research project provided a knowledge and evidence base of the policy perspective; an expanded statistical context; and detailed analyses of Silver, Gold and Platinum design levels.

The policy perspective included greater economic focus. The effect on productivity, directly attributable to housing, is significant. If acceptable standards of housing could solve or mitigate 34 policy ‘problems’.

It is reassuring that universal design has permeated all levels of government policy. Detailed analyses challenged many common assumptions and re-framed accessible housing into a mainstream problem. 

Opportunities for universally design-led mainstream solutions are evident. Some design features might cost more. Others can be designed out, or are cost neutral. 

As there is a minimal gap between universal design standards and current housing, there is hope that all Australians will, one day, live in a universally designed home.

The the paper is one of many from the UDHEIT 2018 conference held in Dublin, Ireland. The conference proceedings are open access.

If you ask an older person if their home will suit them in their later years, they are likely to say yes. But how will they know and will they find out when it’s too late? That is the key issue when policy makers talk about ageing in place. Are we actually prepared for it? And not only are they people’s homes, they are potentially the workplaces for care service staff. So what next for an ageing Australia?

The intersection of home design and support services is one of the factors looked at by Matthew Hutchinson from QUT. His thesis looks at a myriad of housing types including collective living and mutual support, which on the face of it, looks like group home living. Building design is mentioned in passing. The thesis proposes several ways of re-thinking the types of dwelling and dwelling arrangements that might better suit older people to age in place and receive care at home.

This is a very academic text with lots of diagrams and flow charts. Suitable for architects who are interested in housing typology and policy makers interested in ageing in place strategies. The title of the thesis is, Housing for an ageing Australia: What next?  

Abstract: Within the policy context of ageing-in-place aspirations, this thesis examines the potential nature of housing for Australia’s ageing population. By conceptualising housing and support together as an ecology and using grounded theory methodology to involve relevant stakeholders the thesis reveals both the desire and need for new urban and suburban based housing typologies arranged around collective living and mutual support. It further proposes a performance brief comprising desirable housing design principles. The thesis makes a contribution theoretically to the fields of architecture and critical gerontology.

Ageing well in suburbia

The context of this magazine article is suburban infill sites. The problem is how to increase housing supply and diversity while maintaining the existing character of the area. Madigan comes up with models based on the Livable Housing Design Guidelines. 

The overall aim is to support ageing in place and multi-generational living.

Madigan describes suburbs that have an established character and high financial values as ‘blue’. They are often exempt from density increases and also housing diversity. 

Madigan explains a collaborative design research project that developed ‘bluefield housing models’. The models are based on four different allotment sizes, small, medium, large and extra large. They are also based on Livable Housing Australia gold or platinum levels. Floor plans are included in the article. Madigan explains:

Ageing well in the bluefields is on the ArchitectureAU website and will be of interest to building designers and smaller developers. 

The sense of home is very personal, and as we age it is likely to become more personal as we spend more time at home. Younger people who build brand new homes are increasingly embracing smart technology. For older people, smart technology, especially that which collects data, disrupts the sense of home. So, from the lived experience perspective of older people, is a smart home a real home?

Older people want to stay in their own home. It is also the best place for people to manage the consequences of ageing such as dementia and physical conditions.

To age successfully and safely at home often means embracing a range of assistive technologies. They can be as simple as a raised toilet seat and using colour contrasts for interior design. But accepting these technologies is another thing. Grab bars are shunned because of the link with being disabled.

Assistive technologies impact on one’s sense of self – one’s identity. Assistive devices used outside the home feel particularly stigmatising and in too many cases these devices are abandoned. So can the same be said of digital assistive technology especially if it is monitoring your every move?

Tech and older people

Smart home technology in the age-related literature is more than a remote control for the window blinds. It is technology that collects monitoring data through sensors and wearables. The aim is to keep the person safe and improve their wellbeing. But who wants to have their life documented in a database?

A review of older people and the use of smart home technology looked at the issue of acceptance and use. The researchers wanted to find a way to make these technologies more acceptable to older people. They found that issues are not related to accessibility or usefulness but to an invasion of privacy and lack of human interaction.

Human-centred design solutions that take account of a person’s sense of familiarity and privacy at home could help overcome resistance. The researchers provide more detail about their research and the ethics of home monitoring devices.

The title of the article is, The smart home, a true home? How new technologies disrupt the experience of home for older persons.

From the abstract

Smart home technologies can support older persons to age in place, but adoption remains low in this age group. One reason is that they are not accustomed to having a home that is technologically enhanced. In this article, we focus on the older persons’ lived experience of “home” and show how this technology potentially disrupts it.

Humans rely on their physical body and they make decisions based on their perceptions of their physical body without the intervention of technologies. Smart home technologies potentially make the home seem unfamiliar and exposed.

By paying attention to the way smart home technology can disrupt the experience of home, the question of ethical use is brought into the frame. The design of these technologies has an important role to play in acceptance by older people.

If you live in Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, air pollution and staying warm in winter are major considerations for home design. The other major consideration is how to make homes accessible using inclusive design principles. Oidov Vaanchig has done just that and written a short article explaining his eco-inclusive house.

Oidov writes detail about the cost of construction and the carbon footprint. The house relies on solar with minimal electrical consumption. Air quality is controlled with a filtration system because Ulaanbaatar has high levels of air pollution. Replacing the traditional ger and wooden housing stock with homes like this would reduce air pollution by 85%.

Oidov Vaanchig has done a great job in promoting his experimental house to the point where he received a visit from the United States Ambassador to Mongolia.

Social exclusion

The ger areas surrounding Ulaanbaatar present many challenges for inclusion and accessibility. This house serves as a model for inclusive design as well. As Oidov says, implementing inclusive design principles can break the cycle of disability and poverty.

Oidov concludes his article by saying that the house “stands as a beacon of hope” in addressing air pollution and social exclusion. A lesson to all house builders in the developed world.

The title of the article by Oidov Vaanchig is, UB’s Eco-Inclusive House: A sustainable solution for air pollution and social exclusion.

While the design might not meet Western standards for accessibility, it is a groundbreaking attempt at a fully inclusive and passive house in extreme conditions.

The GDI Hub featured the house as a case study and has more detail. The Asia Development Bank supported the study.

The term “vulnerable” was used repeatedly during the COVID pandemic to label people with certain health conditions, and anyone over the age of 70 years. Transport professionals also talk about vulnerable pedestrians as if other pedestrians are “normal” pedestrians. So, is there such a thing as vulnerable groups, or are people subject to vulnerabilising conditions? In the context of housing, Ilan Wiesel and Emma Power discuss the question of vulnerable groups or vulnerabilising housing.

Much has changed in housing design and technology yet homes remain inaccessible. The authors discuss the role of the housing industry and their role in maintaining the status quo on inaccessibility.

Wiesel and Power discuss inaccessible housing as a ‘vulnerabilising assemblage’. There is a growing body of literature that lists the direct harms of inaccessible housing. However, their study considers both direct harm and future harms and documents these. The paper begins with an academic focus, but many readers will find the case study more interesting.

The paper discusses the conceptual shift from vulnerable to vulnerabilising, and then conceptualises the groupings of vulnerabilising things and processes. The authors side-step housing as a market or a system and think about it as a group of different ideologies and subjectivities. The assembly of this collection of ideas, actors and markets is not fixed but changing.

Exposure to harm

The case study explores the nature and experience using an online questionnaire and in-depth interviews. “Exposure to harm” is used to identify participants’ concerns about how they are exposed to possible harm in their home. The risk of injury or further injury emerged strongly. It creates significant emotional stress and this is harmful as well.

A man with spinal cord injury broke his leg several times transferring from his wheelchair in the bathroom. Many years later, a major bathroom modification prevented his falls. This is an example of home design vulnerabilising his body. (Image courtesy Caroma)

The fear of homelessness and risk of house fires and the ongoing stress and worry about these risks also affected mental health. And then the worry of forced institutionalisation.

There is much to unpack in the case study and a long list of the many harms inaccessible housing brings to occupants. And not only current occupants but to those who will occupy the home in the future. Disabling conditions are a fact of life and can happen to anyone at any time.

From the abstract

The concept of ‘vulnerabilising’ marks a shift in the focus of analysis and intervention away from individuals and groups labelled vulnerable, towards the processes that generate and reproduce vulnerability.

To that end, we develop a framework that conceptualises how ‘vulnerabilising assemblages’ operate. We mobilise assemblage thinking and engage with theoretical debates on the nature of vulnerability as a universal, albeit unequal, human condition.

Addressing inaccessible housing as a case study, we identify three mechanisms through which people with physical disabilities become vulnerable:

• through exposure to harm;
• through erosion of defenses against harm; and by
• legitimising or motivating harm.

We call on researchers, policymakers and grassroot activists to shift their attention from vulnerable bodies to vulnerabilising assemblages.

The title of the article is, Primed for harm: Inaccessible housing as a vulnerabilising assemblage.

The National Construction Code now includes a step free entry and other minor changes for accessibility. For many people it will minimise the need for home modifications. It will be easier and cost effective when modifications are needed. Many research articles put the case for accessibility in the 20 years leading up to the Livable Housing Design Standard. These articles remain relevant for existing homes and in jurisdictions yet to mandate access features in new homes. Listed below are a mix of magazine and research articles.

Ageing in Place: Are we there yet? (2019) Mary Ann Jackson

Your Home: Adaptable Housing Guide (2022) published by the Australian Government

The potential of a home modification strategy – a universal design approach to existing housing (2014) by Phillippa Carnemolla.

The role of home maintenance and modification services in achieving health, community care and housing outcomes in later life (2008) AHURI Report by Andrew Jones et al. 

Better supporting older Australians to age in place (2021) AHURI Brief. 

Accessible housing – what’s it worth? (2020) by Dušan Katunský.

Accessible housing: costs and gains (2017) 

Ageing better at home (2018) Centre for Ageing Better 

Adaptable housing for people with disability in Australia: A scoping study (2021) Australian Human Rights Commission. It looks beyond the code change for new housing to the issues in existing housing.