implementation Jane Bringolf COTA NSW COTA New South Wales - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Universal Design: Local Government’s role in implementation Jane Bringolf COTA NSW COTA New South Wales

Introduction • Resistance to uptake of UD in housing (Australian perspective) • Language use and interpretation • Regulation and role of local government COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

What is universal design? • A way of designing products with the whole population in mind • It’s not a set of designs for a particular group of people – not a product or type • It aims to improve functionality for everyone • It should also be aesthetically pleasing COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

It is not ‘special’ housing It’s not Adaptable Housing Accessible Housing Visitable Housing Seniors Living ‘Disabled’ Housing Or any other special type of housing It’s about including as many features as possible that improve function for everyone COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

Why is it important? • Exclusion and inability caused by poor design has social and economic costs • Specialised and parallel designs are stigmatising - reinforce negative stereotyping and continued exclusion • Ageing population an economic and social policy challenge • New homes have 60% probability of an occupant with a permanent disability COTA New South Wales

Aim of the study To find out why there is resistance to the uptake of universal design in new-build mass market housing in Australia. Wanted to find out why barriers exist. COTA New South Wales

Participants in the study Built environment industry: • In-depth interviews • Postal and online survey New home buyers: • In-depth interviews • Postal survey COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

What the literature says • Disability natural part of human experience • Previously hidden away - viewed as state welfare responsibility • Segregation considered normal • Civil and human rights not changed things • Anti discrimination legislation retains notions of ‘normal’ and ‘non - normal’ – not educative or attitude changing. COTA New South Wales

Professions and trades – Also subject to societal attitudes – Technical efficiencies of industry paramount – Change required throughout delivery chain – Not just a design issue – Industry infrastructure issue – Myths abound about difficulty and cost – Consumers not demanding universal design COTA New South Wales

What I’ve found out • Language and terminology is holding us back • We aren’t all talking about the same idea when we say universal, accessible, adaptable, visitable, or even ‘disabled’ design • Language is still centred on segregation – housing for ‘us’ and housing for ‘them’ COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

My Proposition: We have too many words and not enough understanding COTA New South Wales

Visitable Seniors COTA New South Wales

Where the words come from • Some terms come from human rights legislation and are stuck there: – Accessible and visitable • Some come from policy shifts: – Adaptable, ageing in place • Some come from a person-centred view: – Usable, person-environment fit, universal Some come from marketing practice - branding COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

Is branding better? • Lifetime Homes • Livable Housing Design • Lifemark • Smart Housing • Lifecycle Housing • Easyliving Homes • Housing 4 Life • Flexhousing COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

Do we need so many ‘types’ of housing exclusively for ‘other’ people? Not if we start acknowledging that ageing, illness, disability and accidents are a part of being human, and we… COTA New South Wales

Expect it, and plan for it in every home from this point forward. COTA New South Wales

Once we get clarity… • We will stop focusing on WHO it’s for • Start focusing on WHAT it can do and • HOW it can be implemented • Then we can start researching ways to make it work better • Cost arguments will disappear • Everyone can capitalise on more functional environments and products! COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

What I’ve found out • Construction cost 1-2% more to change existing floor plans of mass market homes • Cost almost nothing if done from start • Builders still think ‘normal’ vs ‘special’ so therefore it must cost more COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

A note about costs • What does it cost NOT to have UD? – Not borne by design, property or construction industries – Are borne by society, particularly weakest members • Research by NSW State land corporation – Little if any cost if designed from outset • Cost is always the easiest and well accepted response COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

Why we don’t have UD? Simplistically - • Code word for ‘disabled’ design • This means grab bars • Grab bars are ugly • No thank you. Arguments against UD are based on existing concepts of ‘disabled design’. They are… COTA New South Wales

Argument 1 From the perspective of aesthetics: Disabled design is often unattractive And unattractive things don’t sell Therefore no-one wants to make it and no-one wants to buy it. False premise – doesn’t need to be ugly COTA New South Wales

Argument 2 From the perspective of market demand: Disability and ageing isn’t my business My business is mainstream market segments The mainstream market isn’t asking for it Therefore I won’t build it. Premise of ugliness at play here COTA New South Wales

Argument 3 From the perspective of difference: People with disabilities and older people need places built specially for ‘them’ And they need to be separate from ‘us’ And special housing has its own market demographic Therefore I will build special places if there is money in it. False assumption – most want to stay put COTA New South Wales

Real Argument? These arguments are influential BUT They are a cover for another reason: To protect the current housing system where cost efficiencies are locked into the housing delivery chain COTA New South Wales

The house building machine Property Developers Architects Regulators Builders Planners Engineers Building Designers Tradespeople Regulators COTA New South Wales Original photo by wxhongqi@gmail.com guo.oliver@hotmail.com

Housing Delivery Chain • A factory-style production line • But lots of people ‘own’ different parts of the machine • Lots of reliance on others – no payback or ownership for innovation, but lots of risk • Works because of tight controls • Regs keep everyone in line COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

A connected but fragmented industry Tradespeople Builders Engineers Building Designers Architects Planners Regulators Property Developers COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

Systems Theory * Big machine- like organisations don’t change easily – Tend to look inwards for solutions – Closed to external feedback: coded ‘error variance’ – Tighten internal controls in response to threats – No point of authority or responsibility – Causes “one right way” to do things – Efficiency remains, but effectiveness is lost – Risk averse – any change is a risk to profits *Katz & Kahn, (1978). The social psychology of organisations COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

Which is why industry says... COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

“It has to be regulated” In spite of 85% of industry respondents saying universal design is desirable, almost the same number say nothing will change without legislation. They are locked into a system they cannot easily change themselves COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

All change is difficult, but… • Industry locked into system • Appeal to external umpire – the regulators • Consequence – lots of policies, regulations • Need to cut through with simpler solution • Go back to beginning, think again from an inclusive planning perspective COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

The house building machine Planners Property Developers Architects Builders Regulators Regulators Engineers Building Designers Tradespeople Original photo by wxhongqi@gmail.com guo.oliver@hotmail.com

Role of Local Government • This is where planning authorities and local government fit in. • Study had no focus on local government • But could it be a route to successful implementation? • Would it work better if the focus was taken from design details to notions of inclusion and inclusiveness? COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

Role of Local Government • Change the paradigm from universal design to designing universally • Design policies and plans universally • Let the design details follow on • Make it everyone’s business, not just social services COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales

Norwegian Model • Deals with the thinking process • Becomes everyone’s responsibility • Simplifies the system • Norway universally designed by 2025 Changes the UD emphasis from user to planner COTA New South Wales COTA New South Wales