UD: Learning from Chuck Nyren and HomeIntel Blog

A post at HomeIntel Blog charts the impact of UD in residential design:

Understanding the Audience and Concept Are Ket to Marketing Universal Design

It's stating the obvious to say that the Baby Boomer generation is aging - we're reminded often, thanks to the media.  However, it is this generation - or more specifically, their situation and needs - that is paving the way for how the rest of us will prepare for the future.  Some examples include how the country is approaching healthcare, longevity of careers and retirement planning.  One of the more uplifting and interesting trends is how houses are designed, remodeled and laid out to allow for folks to age in their current homes.  This is a trend known as Universal Design.

According to Rebecca Stahr, ASID, CAPS, CSP, and president of the Universal Design Alliance in Atlanta, Universal Design is "a user-friendly approach to design in the living environment where people of any culture, age, size, weight, race, gender and ability can experience an environment that promotes their health, safety and welfare today and in the future."

The Universal Design Alliance, you ask?  They're not alone.  There are more groups dedicated to this concept than you'd think.

  Chuck Nyren, author of Advertising to Baby Boomers, believes that without truly understanding the Baby Boomer mentality, marketing Universal Design can come off as condescending or a reminder of old age.  However, he remarks that when marketed intelligently, "whether they know or not, the majority of Boomers would appreciate the benefits of UD."

Full story:

http://homeintelblog.com/2009/06/universal-design-moves-more-mainstream/