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Global Initiatives
The
purpose of this page is to collect information on Visitability
initiatives from around the world and learn from their challenges
and success. Visitability is not a new premise and has been
growing from its beginnings in Sweden in 1976. International
leaders include Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden
and the United Kingdom.
In
2006, Manitoba Housing and Renewal Corporation commissioned
a document called the Visitable Housing Report: Community
Building Through Visitable & Adaptable Housing. In this
report initiatives occurring around the world are described.
AUSTRALIA | JAPAN | THE NETHERLANDS | SWEDEN | UNITED KINGDOM | GLOBAL UNIVERSAL DESIGN LINKS
Australia
All
states and territories across Australia have taken various
levels of action to increase the supply of accessible housing.
A number of different model codes have been developed resulting
in varying standards. Consistency and harmonisation of legislation
is needed.
Initiatives
range from:
-
Provisions for 10% of new multi-unit
development to comply with Adaptable Housing specifications
in the Australian Capital Territory
- Discussion
of good design principles that ‘provides ease of access
for all age groups and degrees of mobility’ in New South
Wales
- A
Smart Housing Partnership in Queensland to promote sustainable
housing design that incorporates social, environmental
and economic sustainability through universal design,
resource efficiency and cost efficiency over time.
Australian
Network for Universal Design
www.anuhd.org/index.html
Queensland
Government Department of Housing- Smart Housing
www.smarthousing.qld.gov.au
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Japan
The
1994 Japanese 'Gold Plan' set a series of targets for specialized
aged housing. The targets were not met. The target
for “care housing” fell short, with fewer than 7,000 of a
planned 100,000 units built. An updated 'New Gold Plan'
was issued. Regulations now require that all new housing,
about one million units, should be built for 30 years of 'liveability',
to universal design standards.
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The
Netherlands
Over
the past twenty years a growing number of local councils and
housing associations in the Netherlands encouraged the development
of new dwellings to be designed using the Adaptable Housing
principles. By 1996 it was indicated that 44% of the new social
housing in Amsterdam was Adaptable, as well as 60% of all
new housing in The Hague. In 1997, the requirements for Adaptable
Housing were included in the Dutch National Building Code.
There are 5 mandatory criteria required that encompass Adaptable
Housing as follows:
- Threshold
at external doors no higher than 20mm;
- In
a block of flats higher than 3m above ground level, space
has to be reserved for a lift;
- Turning
space for wheelchairs of 1525mm in the public area of apartment
buildings and sufficient turning space in the house near
the front door;
- Free
passage space at all floors of 850mm by 1220mm;Toilet
space of 915mm by 1220mm minimum (visitable toilet)
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Sweden
Visitability
has been in place in the housing industry in Sweden since
1967, and requires all new houses to be designed and built
to ensure a person with limited mobility can visit it.
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United
Kingdom
Adoption
of Part M of the building code:
England
and Wales, 1999
Republic
of Ireland, January 2000
Scotland,
April 2000
Northern
Ireland, April 2001
Part
M of the building code reflects an ideology that
includes:
- A
915 mm wide path from car to entry;
- An
accessible entry;
- An
accessible WC in the entrance story;
- Switches
and socket outlets to be located so that they are easily
reachable (450-1220 mm from the floor).
www.concretechange.org/uknews.htm
‘Lifetime
Homes’ was published in 1993 containing 16 accessible
and flexible design features that would ensure a new dwelling
would meet the changing needs of most households.
Joseph
Rowntree Foundation
www.jrf.org.uk/housingandcare/lifetimehomes/partMandLTH.asp
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Global
Universal Design Links
Danish
Centre for Accessibility - Denmark
European
Institute for Design and Disability - Finland
Institute
for Indepedent Living - Sweden
Nordic
Cooperation on Disability - Germany
Swedish
Handicap Institute - Sweden
The
Centre for Accessible Environments - UK
The
National Information & Meeting Center for Disabled Persons
- Luxembourg
The
Norwegian Accessibility Centre - Norway
Institute
for Rehabilitation Research (iRv) - The Netherlands
The
EQUAL Network - UK
FTB
Research Center on Technology and Disability
European
Design for all E-Accessibility Network EDeAN
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Canadian
Centre on Disability Studies
56 The Promenade Winnipeg,
Manitoba Tel: 204 287-8411 Fax: 204 284-5343 TTY: 204 475-6223
Email: ccds@disabilitystudies.ca
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