Suddenly it seems, we’re breaking out quickly into 2022 even though in my part of the world winter slowly grinds on; and one issue in my “Recoding a Longevity Society” file continues to have gained even more momentum in global discussion, one that was already in play well before the COVID world began two years ago – housing and age-inclusive communities.
Housing, or shortage thereof, with over the top house prices, the question of affordability or attainability is now a global issue. And lest we forget, homelessness and mass migration, millions of refugees living in misery continues. With all this parked in my mind, I can’t help but think that if we should have learned anything in the last two years, it’s that we have placed deeper individual and collective value on the concept of home, our neighbourhoods, our communities.
Since 2020 I have attended several virtual sessions on subjects in this category – adapting to urban living in pandemic times, the housing crisis (owning or renting), housing design, accessibility and home modifications to name a few.
As Built Environment Strategist, Esther Greenhouse moderator of the Jan.25th AARP International Equity by Design webinarsaid about housing, “…now it could be viewed as a pandemic of its own.” In this webinar titled Build Equity through Shared Equity, the focus was on two US based models of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s).
First is theMinnesota-based YardHomesMN a social benefits corporation launched in January 2020, and second is the pilot project CLTplusOneby Durham Community Land Trustees in North Carolina. You can read the details on these in this case study document which are great examples of ADU’s as a housing option.
One comment fromNichol Dehmer, Founder of YardHomesMN had some echoes of advice from Rose Gilroy ofFuture Homes Alliance in the UK, who was the speaker on the Nov.2021 Equity by Design webinar. Dehmer pointed to the importance of cultivating a value proposition while seeking financing for any of these housing initiatives, by involving housing advocates and city planners who understand the goals of affordable housing.
Affordable. Attainable. Accessible. These terms lead the vocabulary that peppers conversations on housing options for older populations, but this is much more inclusive. Housing – affordable, attainable and accessible – is every generation’s concern. Getting educated, understanding the options is more significant than ever before. Developers can’t keep on chunking out the same old stock designs. Advocates, planners and designers and citizens together, need to press this point.
Isn’t terminology wonderful? How it grabs you, or not. When it comes to Accessory Dwelling Units as an option, sometimes at best, everyday people I speak to have only a general idea of what it means. But if you further explain with example terms such as – yard houses, basement apartments or granny flats (let’s expire that term) then most people get it.
Today, the interest in ADU’s of any variety goes wide across generations wherever they are in their life course, and what may surprise you is that the concepts are not new at all, but simply a re-rooted idea for the 21st century. In addition to the US based Accessory Dwelling website I shared last month, there is a 2018 Canadian ADU overview that serves as an excellent starting point for a better understanding of the story.
Produced by Arpent, a Canadian not-for-profit urban planning firm, the informative document is titled Accessory Dwelling Units: Principles and Best Practices. Early on it enlightens us on history, that ADU’s – “…existed in Canada since the 19th century. It has taken such forms as servant houses, coach houses, former stables and temporary houses refitted into a permanent apartment, and small apartments for young couples in large houses.”
And further, “The main reason behind ADUs’ longevity is the economic crisis of 1929 and the housing shortage following World War II, which caused the phenomenon to become widespread.” Now almost a century later, ADU’s are back, again as in the past, significantly driven by the need for alternatives through tough times. I encourage you to read this document and see the bigger picture through an urban planning lens, with a contemporary innovation approach.
