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Adapt to Household Changes
While a housing development typically is built with the intent of permanence,
the lives of residents change over time. Some households move, while others
remain in place as household members grow, age, and change in their stature,
and mental and physical abilities. Society's ideas about what is good
and proper housing and how residents should use the spaces of their homes
also change with time. Similarly, changes in governmental housing policies
and regulations and management rules may have different impacts on residents'
use of their dwellings. The livability of a housing development over the
years is partly dependent upon how it can be adapted to accommodate these
changes. Household fit may be maintained over the long term if the housing
is designed to allow for flexible use and/or is easily expandable. A spare
room, for example, located near the entry of a housing unit can function
equally well as a den, home office or shop, or spare bedroom. Major alterations,
such as reorganizing the space in a dwelling or adding a room, can be
cost-effective and simplified by planning for such additions in the initial
design or by providing unfinished space. Necessary alterations to the
dwelling can be simplified, for example, by providing devices that accommodate
the installation of accessibility equipment, such as grab rails in a bathroom,
or kitchen cabinets and counters that can be adjusted to accommodate wheelchair
access. Adaptable housing allows people to comfortably "age-in-place"
without incurring the emotional and economic costs of being forced to
move or engage in expensive remodeling.
Resources for this design objective are cross-listed with "Support
Household and Neighborhood Fit"
Link to resources
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