Neighbourhoods for Life -...

Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development

Neighbourhoods for Life

Neighbourhoods for Life

Lynne Mitchell OISD: WISE

Oxford Brookes University

Lynne Mitchell OISD: WISE

Oxford Brookes University


Introduction

WISE (Wellbeing in SustainableEnvironments) research unit

– Investigating impacts of the built environment on people’s wellbeing and quality of life

– Evidence-based design guidance and CPD sessions

– Focus on older people, but extending to other ages and groups


Content

Neighbourhoods for Life (Ns for L) conceptWhy have Ns for L?Basis for Ns for LDesign issuesDesign principlesKey recommendationsImplementationConclusions


Ns for L concept

Developed from research on designing the outdoor environmentto improve quality of life (QoL) of older people with dementia (OPwD)

Ns for L are neighbourhoods that are inclusive – easy and enjoyable to use by all members of society, regardless of age or ability


Ns for L concept

Neighbourhoods that people find easy to access, find their way around, use and enjoy as they grow older, helping them to continue living at home

Neighbourhoods that are designed to maximise the QoL of OPwD


Why have Ns for L?

Dementia project showed essentialfor OPwD to be able to live in their own homes and to get outdoors

Extension of inclusive design concept to neighbourhood scale

Need for outdoor equivalent of Lifetime Homes to support independence in old age


Why have Ns for L?

Can contribute to creating sustainable communities

– Social sustainability includes social cohesion, social inclusion and maximising people’s quality of life

Getting outdoors is also very important for stimulation, exerciseand health


Why have Ns for L?

Some quotes about going out: – I feel great, I would live out– I rejoice– I feel in charge of myself– The world belongs to me just for

that bit of time– I get claustrophobic if I don’t go out– It’s very comforting


Basis for Ns for L

3 year, EPSRC-funded research– In-depth interviews

• older people, with and without dementia – their views, use and experiences of local neighbourhoods

– Accompanied walks • wayfinding techniques and design

features that help or hinder them– Surveys

• design characteristics of participants’neighbourhoods that influence participants’ sense of QoL


Basis for Ns for L

6 key design principles and 17 main recommendations

– For designers, developers and users of outdoor environments

– Some can only be applied to new development or redevelopment but many can be used to improve existing outdoor urban environments


Design issues

Older people are not homogenous– Vast age range – Great variety of abilities, lifestyles,

health and mobility levels

But we are all likely to face certain physical and mental challenges as we grow older


Design issues

Strength and stamina– People in their mid-70s have half

that of people in their 20sMobility

– Older people often develop a shuffling, unsteady gait and/or a stooped posture

– Vulnerable to falls– Difficulties walking up hills or for

over roughly 10 mins without a rest


Design issues

Hearing loss– Longer reaction times

Visual impairment– 90% of blind and partially sighted

people are aged over 60– People aged 60+ need 3-5 times

more light than younger adults– Greater sensitivity to glare and

contrasts of dark and light can cause loss of balance and falls


Design issues

Impaired depth perception– Sharp colour contrasts or patterns

on ground seen as steps or holes– Shiny surfaces look slippery– Busy patterns can cause dizziness

Colour agnosia– Difficulties seeing certain colours,

especially violets, blues and greens, and distinguishing colours of similar dark or light tones

– Reds and oranges easiest to see


Design issues

General mental decline– Can take longer to process, react

to and recall information or to learn new information

– Can have problems remembering names of people, places and objects (semantic memory) or future tasks e.g. keeping appointments (prospective memory)


Design issues

Dementia – Likelihood of developing dementia

increases with age– Irreversible and incurable – Alzheimer’s disease is the most

common form of dementia– Causes cognitive, behavioural and

personality changes– Tends to exacerbate normal

physical decline


Design issues

Our participants with dementia– regularly went out alone– generally enjoyed going out– planned and visualised routes– used landmarks and other

distinctive visual wayfinding cues if familiar to older people and if regularly encountered


Design issues

But they– became anxious, disoriented or

confused in complex/busy places or when startled by loud noises

– were less aware of potential dangers and of losing the way

– struggled to remember routes or purposes of trips

Importance of staying in familiar home and neighbourhood


Design principles

Neighbourhoods for Life are– Familiar– Legible– Distinctive– Accessible– Comfortable– Safe

Many recommendations but 17 key ones


Recommendations

1. Small blocks laid out on an irregular grid (legibility)– Varying lengths (60m to 100m)– Staggered, forked and t-junctions

rather than crossroads


Recommendations

2. A hierarchy of familiar types of streets, including high streets and residential side streets (familiarity)


Recommendations

3. Gently winding streets (legibility)

4. Varied urban form and architecture (distinctiveness)


Recommendations

5. Mix of uses, including plenty of services, facilities and open space (accessibility)– Housing located no further than

500m from local primary services and facilities including:• food store• Post Office• GP surgery/health clinic• green space• public transport stops


Recommendations

– Housing located no further than 800m from local secondary services and facilities, including:

• a variety of open space: parks, allotments, recreation grounds, public squares

• library• dentist and optician• places of worship• community and leisure facilities


Recommendations

6. Buffer zones between road and footway on busy routes e.g. trees, grass verge (comfort & safety)

7. Buildings/facilities designed to reflect uses (familiarity & legibility)


Recommendations

8. Landmarks and visual cues (legibility & distinctiveness)– Variety of historic, civic and

distinctive buildings and structures – Variety of places of interest and

activity, e.g. nature reserves, tennis courts

– Variety of aesthetic and practical features in designs OPwD are familiar with and can understand


Recommendations

9. Special/distinctive features at junctions (legibility)

10. Obvious entrances to buildings (legibility & accessibility)


Recommendations

11. Footways separate from cycle tracks (safety)

– Wide, flat, smooth, non-slipsurfaces

– Plain, non-reflective in clear colour and textural contrast to traffic calming measures

– Clean and well maintained


Recommendations

12. Frequent pedestrians crossings (safety)

– Visual signals on both sides of crossing

– Audible cues at pitch and timing suitable for frail older people


Recommendations

13. Level changes only when unavoidable (accessibility)

– Gentle slopes rather than steps for slight level changes

– Choice of steps and ramp with max. gradient 1:20, for greater level changes

– Steps/ramps clearly marked and well lit with handrails and non-slip, non-glare surfaces


Recommendations

14. Clear signs throughout (legibility)

– Minimal signs giving simple, essential and unambiguous information at decision points

– Directional signs on single pointers

– Locational signs for primary services positioned perpendicular to the wall


Recommendations

– Large, realistic graphics in clear colour contrast to background

– Non-glare lighting and non-reflective coverings

15. Sturdy public seating with arm and back rests (comfort)

– Every 100-125m– In ‘warm’ materials, e.g. wood


Recommendations

16. Enclosed bus shelters, with seating and transparent walls or large clear windows (comfort & safety)

17. Ground level toilets (comfort & safety)


Recommendations


Implementation

When and where?– New towns, sustainable

communities, urban villages and extensions, housing developments

– Redevelopment, regeneration of urban areas, infill development, small-scale additions/new buildings

– Maintenance/refurbishment of urban areas, open spaces, streets or specific Ns for L upgrading


Implementation

How?– Each recommendation of benefit,

some more crucial than others– Other solutions possible, scope for

creativity– Seamless design for life

• implement alongside lifetime homes, buildings, transport, healthcare etc.

– Also need to consider other requirements, e.g. environmental concerns, conservation of heritage


Conclusions

Recommendations based on views of relatively small sample of users

– more research needed to confirm or add solutions to Ns for L concept

Conflicts with other users, other transport modes and other aspects of sustainability need to be considered in greater depth


Conclusions

Ns for L could– improve older people’s QoL– allow OP to live at home for longer– improve sustainability of

neighbourhoods– improve inclusiveness

“Good design for older people is good design” - Mike Lake, Director General, Help the Aged, 21st June 2007


Conclusions

Number of publications on Ns for L including papers, leaflets & book available on WISE stand

Neighbourhoods for Life -...

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