The Visitability Movement
What kind of community can be sustained if friends or family cannot visit our homes? 'Visitability', a cousin of universal design, ensures that they can. The visitability movement focuses on providing accessibility at ingress/egress points and to common rooms within single-family homes. Visitability is a growing trend nationwide. The term refers to single-family or owner-occupied housing designed in such a way that it can be lived in or visited by people who have trouble with steps or who use wheelchairs or walkers.
Unlike American Disability Association (ADA) legislation, it does not focus on multi-family or commercial enterprises. Nevertheless, municipalities such as Bolingbrook, IL and Pima County, AR, as well as a Habitat for Humanity affiliate in Atlanta are joining the movement.
It's not just a matter of an unsightly ramp at the front of the house; entrances can also be on the side, rear or garage. Eleanor Smith, a pioneer behind the visitablity movement, recommends increasing the landscape up to the house as another alternative to unsightly ramps. Furthermore having wider ingress/egress apertures and/or corners is an amenity that allows homeowners to more easily bring in and out large pieces such as couches, refrigerators, pianos, etc.
Visitability in the mainstream
What gets in the way of Visitability? According to Smith, people's fear of aging and disabilities has held the visitablity movement from gaining momentum in the mainstream. The building industry has also been slow to adopt these new design philosophies into their buildings. The problem is further compounded with the recent American trend of moving to a different housing type with each life stage – certainly not a sustainable practice.
Studies show building visibitability into a house costs $500 max, according to Katherine Austin, a Northern California architect. She recommends visitability as a means for developers and GCs to create a niche over their competition. One point that may convince them: LEED ND, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design's Neighborhood Development program, gives points for the implementation of visitability.
Listen to a full free podcast about visitability at the American Institute of Architects' Architecture Knowledge Review.
View more blogs by Nichole Reber at Spacedesignjournal.com
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