Toward inclusive housing and neighborhood design: A look at visitability

Abstract

As the population ages and faces a greater number of physical disabilities, housing and community design must be re‐examined. This research explores the growing need for accessible housing in the United States and the recent emergence of visitability as an affordable and sustainable design strategy aimed at increasing the number of accessible single family homes and neighborhoods. Both a qualitative and quantitative methods approach was utilized to study the evolution of accessible housing policy in the United States, the history and fundamental principles of visitability, and the number and diversity of visitability initiatives and programs. The research explores trends in the visitability movement, as well as the challenges and controversies currently surrounding the visitability movement and potentially threatening its future success.