Barriers to universal design in housing

Abstract

The aim of this study was to find out why the mass-market house building industry in Australia appears reticent to incorporate universal design principles into project homes. The central tenet of universal design is inclusiveness. Apart from social equity issues, there is an economic imperative stemming from designs that exclude. People who cannot easily participate in social and economic activities are at risk of becoming dependent on state assistance and tax payer support. Using an interpretivist framework the study explored industry stakeholder attitudes and opinions of universal housing design as a means of identifying barriers, and just as importantly, why they exist. It was anticipated that more appropriate processes for overcoming barriers might be identified. A survey questionnaire and in-depth interviews were used to gather information from across the professional spectrum including property developers, regulators, architects, building designers, land developers, and project home builders. Two sets of public documents were also analysed, one set relating to housing design policy and the other set relating to public access requirements. An exploratory investigation of the new home purchaser experience was also undertaken in an attempt to gain a consumer perspective of the industry. A small scale survey of new homeowners, and five in-depth interviews were carried out for this purpose. The findings revealed a complex web of barriers to implementing change within the house-building industry, and that overcoming the barriers is unlikely to be a simple case of devising a new design policy or a new building regulation. This study contributes to the field of housing research from an industry perspective, and provides insights into the structural and procedural complexities inherent in the built environment industry in general. The study also points to the need for further inquiry into the structure and processes of the built environment industry in terms of adopting new practices to suit the changing needs of society.

Date of Award	2011
Original language	English