The Future Holds Smart Habitats for People With Special Needs

No matter whether it’s about the problems of aging, vision, hearing, disabilities or other permanent conditions, modern urban environments or residential places often disregard people with special needs. Luckily, technology and smart design might offer solutions on how to make cities more accessible, more inclusive and entirely suited for everyone in the future. Technology could support smart habitats for people’s real needs Grandmas, children, pregnant women, Filipinos, French or American people, tall, small, big, round-faced, blond, black-haired or bold – people differ in all kinds of ways, and we could go on for hours listing different characteristics which make people unique. For such a diverse patchwork of people, we need habitats just as varied. I’m sure that would be the first thought of aliens landing on Earth (well, maybe after the question what are those thousands of colorful elephant and unicorn-shaped balloons doing around the planet). And in a way, the homes where people live are indeed manifold ranging from the Inuit people’s igloos through post-socialist concrete block apartments until the Yurts on the Mongolian steppes. However, looking at modern urban environments, one can get the feeling that the symmetrically planned streets with rhythmically changing street lights and motorized traffic, multi-story buildings, and stairs with only a pinch of green cannot support the everyday life of all kinds of people. Instead, inhabitants have to make great effo...
Source: The Medical Futurist - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: Future of Medicine Healthcare Design Medical Professionals Patients Policy Makers Researchers accessible disability health technology inclusive Innovation people with special needs smart city smart design Source Type: blogs