Housing and an aging population: implications for architectural education

The indispensability of housing as one of man’s basic needs makes it crucial to the concept of active aging in the built environment. This paper examines the place of architectural education in the context of housing for the aging population and its role in fostering intergenerational linkage. The study examines the curricula of the Departments of Architecture at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria, to identify the knowledge gaps affecting appropriate age-friendly housing design. The absence of crucial course content useful for modeling pedagogy and the comprehension of the dynamics of changing housing needs both underscore the need to review the curricula. Where these courses exist, their applications are not evident. Acknowledging that tutelage cannot be completely exhausted in the design studio, the study recommends that the academic training of architecture students should embrace options that involve such socio-economic and psychological concerns as behavioral architecture, building economics, and demography; this will facilitate intergenerational relationships and age-friendly designs.