Sponsored by MetLife and written by Louis Tenenbaum, this 34 page report updates the information, advances and understanding of aging in place.

May 2003:  "You're casting about for the perfect new homestead. Perhaps because you're officially retiring the briefcase and three-piece at the end of the fiscal year—or maybe life's gotten just a bit too routine, and you want to shake things up with a fresh start in an up-and-coming city. No matter what kind of change you're looking for, use this resource-filled checklist to find the city that's the best match for you:"

A very general overview of universal design as applied to your home.

PDF file:  Toward Universal Design A good overview of the concept of universal design in everyday environments. Design illustrations, a brief history of the movement for disability rights, and recent legal developments are included. PDF file from NCSU, AUED.9.96, Ronald L. Mace, Graeme J. Hardie, and Jaine P. Place, 1996, 44 pp.

October 10, 2010

"UB's Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access and the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute are partnering to research and change the accessibility of housing, public buildings and outdoor spaces able to accommodate people of all abilities and ages."

by: Rebecca Bratek, The Spectrum, a student publication from the University of Buffalo

"Although it sometimes may seem that everything to be said on the topic of Universal Design must surely have been said, this topic is so hot right now that I feel compelled to offer an update on current news and directions. Recently, including at this year’s International Builders’ Show, there were a number of new and notable products and product design improvements being shown...."

"Although it sometimes may seem that everything to be said on the topic of Universal Design must surely have been said, this topic is so hot right now that I feel compelled to offer an update on current news and directions. Recently, including at this year’s International Builders’ Show, there were a number of new and notable products and product design improvements being shown."

"After a spinal cord injury, where we go and who we visit become more limited. Since my injury in June 1998, I can no longer go to any of my neighbor’s homes and ring their doorbells. Even the two brand new homes a few doors down from me were built with concrete porches and steps that are barriers to me. I would have liked to have welcomed their owners to our neighborhood, but concrete barriers are hard to pass through when you are seated in a wheelchair."

"The following remodeling articles cover topics such as small home design, green remodeling, universal design, and making home improvements for small spaces."

September 2004:  "Voting with their feet, boomers head back to the city." By Elizabeth Pope, September & October 2004

Although nothing in this list refers to universal design, you will see from a quick glance that there is a nice overlap between what is considered desireable and what is universal design. Large kitchens, main-floor master suite, usable outdoor space, low-maintenance materials, showers with seating areas, garages large enough for ... scooters, maybe?

May 2003:  Baby boomers are redefining retirement and leading the move to a new generation of dream towns; By Grace Lichtenstein, Elaine Robbins, and Michael Dupuis, May-June 2003

The Healthy House Institute has a growing list of articles on universal design; use their SEARCH window to find them by typing in the keywords, universal design.

September 2003:  "Easy-grip handles, flat thresholds, and adjustable-height vanities are just the beginning in the world's most accessible house. Its creator invited us in for an exclusive look."

A useful overview of toilets: types, placement and accessibility.

Great (and long) post about how and why universal design is better positioned now than at any time in the past to succeed and become mainstream. Points include:

• Reason 1. World demographics are changing.
• Reason 2: World economies are changing.
• Reason 3: More societies throughout the world are valuing human diversity.
• Reason 4: Social sustainability is a natural part of the environmental sustainability movement.
• Reason 5: Attitudes about consumption are changing.
• Reason 6: Major corporations are developing ad campaigns that foster ease of use and inclusion.
• Reason 7: Mass customization is making it easier to develop universally designed solutions.
• Reason 8: Digital technologies are augmenting or eliminating static solutions to dynamic conditions.
• Reason 9: Design that works for everyone is starting to make sense to government officials at the local, regional, national, and global levels."

A USA Today article, May 2006, about the intrafamily living and adapting the home.

This report was prepared by the Population Division as a contribution to the 2002 World Assembly on Ageing and its follow-up.  The report provides a description of global trends in population ageing and includes a series of indicators of the ageing process by development regions, major areas, regions and countries.  The report shows that: 1) Population ageing is unprecedented, without parallel in human history—and the twenty-first century will witness even more rapid ageing than did the century just past. 2) Population ageing is pervasive, a global phenomenon affecting every man, woman and child—but countries are at very different stages of the process, and the pace of change differs greatly.  Countries that started the process later will have less time to adjust. 3) Population ageing is enduring:  we will not return to the young populations that our ancestors knew. And, 4)Population ageing has profound implications for many facets of human life.

"This report was prepared by the Population Division as a contribution to the 2002 World Assembly on Ageing and its follow-up.  The report provides a description of global trends in population ageing and includes a series of indicators of the ageing process by development regions, major areas, regions and countries.  The report shows that:

Population ageing is unprecedented, without parallel in human history—and the twenty-first century will witness even more rapid ageing than did the century just past.

Population ageing is pervasive, a global phenomenon affecting every man, woman and child—but countries are at very different stages of the process, and the pace of change differs greatly.  Countries that started the process later will have less time to adjust.

Population ageing is enduring:  we will not return to the young populations that our ancestors knew. 

Population ageing has profound implications for many facets of human life."