EXPLORING RESILIENCY

AND SUSTAINABILITY DESIGN

For centuries, vernacular building techniques used local materials and a knowledge of local conditions to create buildings that were naturally resistant to disastrous weather.

Somewhere in the mid-20th century, conventional building was reflected in suburban sprawl building patterns and mass production with materials sourced from far away.

When LEED was introduced in 2000 by the U.S. Green Building Council, sustainable building and the long-term financial rewards of investing in sustainable building became part of our vocabulary.

THRILLED TO TEACH UNIVERSAL DESIGN TO MILLIONS OF REALTORS

HOW TO DETECT ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES IN ANY PROPERTY

My five minute video is online, unlocking the value of Universal Design for millions of viewers.

Viewers learn practical tips for recognizing modifications and opportunities that make a property accessible for people with disabilities.

From doorways and kitchens to bathrooms, pools and parking, my expert insights help REALTORS better serve a broader range of clients.

I spoke at the Florida REALTORS statewide convention last year.

Florida has more REALTORS than any other state -- even more than giant California.

For two decades, I have written cover stories and center spread features for On Common Ground, a smart growth publication of the National Association of Realtors.

Many of my stories have featured groundbreaking Universal Design and wheelchair access insights.

I also crafted a first of its kind, hourlong visual and verbal presentation of Universal Design, Aging in Place and enhancing wheelchair access – for the Ohio REALTORS.

My unmatched Universal Design and Town Planning expertise has been featured in far more than 100 articles, webinars, podcasts, radio/television interviews and books.

https://www.floridarealtors.org/news-media/video-library/learning/how-detect-accessibility-features-any-property

HOUSING RESILIENCE

CHALLENGES AND BEST PRACTICES

Alex Ghenis, a quadriplegic who uses a wheelchair for mobility, is an Oakland-based climate and disability justice advocate and disability rights consultant.

Ghenis said more than 1,000 new apartments with proximity to regional transit and myriad daily services would be ideal for people with disabilities.

Opposition to density means fewer units are being built, which drives up the cost of housing due to not enough supply to meet demand.

It limits housing for people with disabilities and senior citizens who could meet their daily needs via walking, rolling or transit.

Municipalities and states need to encourage Universal Design in new development, Ghenis said.

“Basic access could be codified.

Not everyone wants to take a sponge bath because they can’t access their tub.”

HOUSING RESILIENCE

CHALLENGES AND BEST PRACTICES

Alex Ghenis, a quadriplegic who uses a wheelchair for mobility, is an Oakland-based climate and disability justice advocate and disability rights consultant.

He says public/private partnerships also must create accessible, affordable and attainable housing.

When Ghenis was the chair of the city of Berkeley’s Commission on Disability, he saw how opposition to density reduced the opportunity for affordable/accessible housing at a pair of sites by BART and Caltrain transit stations located near vital services.

One was adjacent to the Ed Roberts Campus, a Universal Design award-winning complex for independent living and other disability-positive nonprofits.

HOUSING RESILIENCE

CHALLENGES AND BEST PRACTICE

Alex Ghenis, a quadriplegic who uses a wheelchair for mobility, is an Oakland-based climate and disability justice advocate and disability rights consultant.

“In California, where the housing crunch is awful, we do not have good accessible welcoming apartments and condos that seniors would want to downsize into or the kinds of apartments that people with disabilities can move into and automatically have a roll-in shower,” Ghenis observed, noting that the lack of accessible, aging-in-place housing is failing to put family-sized houses back on the market because seniors have a lack of accessible, small units to move to.

“I hope to address climate resilience and disability through land use and the built environment.

We have to be recognizing that we need to build up accessible housing in places that are hospitable to people with disabilities and have a certain amount of built-in climate resilience.”

HOUSING RESILIENCE

CHALLENGES AND BEST PRACTICES

Alex Ghenis, a quadriplegic who uses a wheelchair for mobility, is an Oakland-based climate and disability justice advocate and disability rights consultant.

“There’s a huge benefit to developers to ensure that new apartment buildings have units with accessibility features.

Building can be done in a way that convenient features can easily become accessibility features.

A walk-in shower can be converted to an ideal roll-in shower.

Modified sinks can work well for wheelchair users and all residents,” said Ghenis, who publishes deep dive articles in accessibility and the environment.

“I think there is a market-based argument to developers having more accessible features — such as Universal Design throughout apartments,” he said, noting the huge demand for barrier-free and age-friendly units as the U.S. Census forecasts that by 2034 there will be more people 65 years and older than under the age of 18 for the first time in history.

HOUSING RESILIENCE

CHALLENGES AND BEST PRACTICES

Illya Azaroff, founder of +LAB Architect PLLC, president-elect of the American Institute of Architects, and professor at New York City College of Technology, advocates for Universal Design.

“Universal Design is a part of sustainability. Accessibility must be a part of all design projects, so people with disabilities can have quality of life and [the built environment] allows aging in place.

No one person or building is static. Architects are positioned as collaborators who can create buildings that can change use and function while accommodating all abilities.

It’s a part of sustainable, healthy building.”

Universal Design creates flexibility.

A dwelling unity can grow with the occupants and support aging in place.