housing for all
identity care place
RON WICKMAN
Affordable housing is a complex issue and so difficult to achieve. While a history of racial and social discrimination can be highlighted in obvious ways, with urban planning and architecture it occurs in much more subtle ways. Bureaucratic and free market system beliefs, including zoning bylaws and strategic community planning have a history of frustrating effective affordable housing. Add accessibility and the challenges become greater. Too many people live in poverty, especially true of those with disabilities. Simply put, there is an urgent need to have more housing stock that sits outside the market economy. For architects, affordable and accessible housing can only effectively work when we want to learn more and get better at our craft in this area of design. I spend every day speaking to, and working with, at least one person with a disability. My practice focuses on small projects where the end users participate in the design process; they are not just asked to comment on prototypes or fait accomplis from the architect. The beauty in this architecture comes from recognising as many people as possible working with an experiential design process for a better architecture. Fundamentally, a well-designed built environment must create a framework for people to live their best lives. accessible architecture is just good design We cannot rely on accessibility guides, standards and codes alone if we are to create an architecture that is more accessible and inclusive for anyone and everyone. This is not just a technical issue but one that offers us the choice to invest ourselves emotionally in a design philosophy that focuses on the toughest populations with a range of disabilities to make the most accessible built environment possible. Specific everyday users, site conditions and the cultural context of a particular region, plus the history and unique characteristics of accessible architecture, will move us on from the medical model of disability which is to fix individuals so that their disabilities appear normal. Instead they point to a social model that tailors built environments to meet everyone and anyone’s needs, including those with physical, visual, hearing and sensory limitations. At its most basic, curb ramps, no-step building entrances, good interior lighting, acoustics and wayfinding strategies should be the barest of minimums. I have been around disability my entire life – in architecture school, in my mind, I would wheel through my designs. My father was a paraplegic and used a manual wheelchair; he was a City of Edmonton councillor for nine years and a Liberal MLA for 12 years at a time when there was no accessibility in the built environment and very few human rights for a person with disabilities. He and his colleagues often acted out of desperation to force change, knowing that the political climate is not always on the side of social
justice. He became a political leader and decision maker to help those most marginalised in our society. We both consider poverty and low social status as disabilities. Affordable housing struggles to accommodate either persons with disabilities or those who are homeless. Our most vulnerable people are left behind in the accomodation of the needs of a perceived majority. We must work hard to shake the current order of society where wealth and power dictate. what is normal? Building standards and requirements are too often based on the idea of a normal person who is inevitably a young able-bodied man with excellent overall mobility. A better understanding of people would include those who use mobility devices such as a manual or power wheelchair, people with visual and hearing limitations, people who are neurodivergent, people who are ill, and finally our aging population who may have any combination of these conditions. The idea of sustainable built environments gathered strength when a critical mass of architects started educating themselves to work on positive solutions to environmental issues, focussing on design solutions that not only create green living but best provide people with positive experiences. We now need a critical mass of architects to promote these same positive experiences for persons with fragilities. Although society relies on architects to focus on accessibility, aesthetics and sustainability, unfortunately law-makers, political decision-makers and investors – from banks to shareholders – are wary of change and new ideas. Profit often comes before people. And yet, paradoxically, architects are the ones challenged by decision-makers and investors to present innovative design solutions. Ultimately it is architects with the power to create this change. Therefore, to get the right answers, we need to ask the right questions about fundamental practices: 1 Accessible architecture commits to participation in the built environment by everyone , despite their age and abilities. Inclusive and sustainable design means social inclusion for everyone , and are integral to the design process right from the start. For example, a compact urban environment, accessible and sustainable, understands that not everyone can drive a car. Accessible architecture offers everyone choices for independent movement. Living on equal terms with everyone else, starts here. When we think about housing design, choices for how we want to live are essential. 2 Architects are trained to be problem solvers and to think outside the box — we can come up with practical and beautiful solutions no matter what the design issue is. For this to happen, especially when it comes to affordable and accessible housing, we need to understand culture and society, not just science and technology. Education is the key. We can start by encouraging
22 on site review 45: houses + housing
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