Chrysikou, E;
(2018)
Why we need new architectural and design paradigms to meet the needs of vulnerable people.
Palgrave Communications
, 4
, Article 116. 10.1057/s41599-018-0171-z.
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Abstract
Research on the silver economy shows that products and services, which enhance personal autonomy and social cohesion, are common to successful enterprises that serve the needs of both older adults and their carers. Policymaking focuses on such interventions mainly from medical-pharmacological and hi-tech perspectives, such as advancements in pharmaceuticals, wearable technologies and e-health applications or robotics. Aspects of the built environment—that is, human-made surroundings—are rarely considered worth exploring. Yet, the fact that we have created buildings, as opposed to many advanced technologies that we are yet to invent, does not necessarily make them fit for purpose to the needs of our ageing population. This is the case in all forms and scales of the built environment, from houses to transportation networks. This article argues that policies and interventions for active and healthy ageing could benefit from a broader integration framework that would allow our built surroundings, of all scales and complexities, to become part of the solution. This could be achieved through new architectural and design paradigms that, contrary to prevailing architectural education and practice, operate in harmony with human perceptions and physiology, especially for vulnerable and older adults. By better understanding the consequences of the built environment on the well-being of the older population and acting on this we could first prevent the environment being disabling for vulnerable people and, second, hopefully enable increased autonomy through interventions.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Why we need new architectural and design paradigms to meet the needs of vulnerable people |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1057/s41599-018-0171-z |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-018-0171-z |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Open Access: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
| Keywords: | silver economy, ageing, policy making, built environment |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > The Bartlett Sch of Const and Proj Mgt > Bartlett Real Estate Institute |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10055882 |
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