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Households

Accessible apartment buildings

CONTEXT

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In order to guarantee autonomy, non-discrimination and equality for all with functional diversity, it is necessary to consider social inclusion and universal accessibility.

CTE DB-SUA 9 [Building Technical Code Basic Document on the Safety of Use and Accessibility 9] is governed by the principle of “accessibility for all” to benefit wheelchair users, people with hearing impairments, cognitive disabilities or reduced mobility, the elderly and other vulnerable groups. It is important to work on a “design for all” by considering a “design for every person”, because the space must guarantee the accessibility of all people in relation to mobility, communication and comprehension of one’s space. In this sense, universal accessibility is a right recognised by law that benefits everyone (Decree 141/2012, regulating the minimum habitability conditions of homes and the habitability certificate).

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Two major blocks are identified with regard to functional diversity, which can lead to associated problems in relation to health and therefore require different measures.

  • • Physical, motor or sensory diversity limits personal autonomy and independence when moving through the space. This loss of autonomy and independence may cause isolation problems and therefore physical health problems such as an increase in obesity and overweight, but also an increase in mental health problems like anxiety, depression, isolation and emotional discomfort. Additionally, poor adaptation using ramps that are too steep or do not have rails, among other problems, may cause problems like falls and becoming trapped.
    The promotion of accessibility in apartment buildings is essential to improve the living conditions of people with motor functional diversity. The removal of architectural barriers makes buildings more accessible and improves qualitative aspects like comfort and safety. The promotion of a design for all that facilitates the orientation of people with visual functional diversity, in addition to the introduction of specific elements to facilitate their orientation will be key to facilitating the autonomy and safety of people with sensory diversity..
  • Mental functional diversity and intellectual functional diversity For people who have limitations related to adaptive behaviour or intellectual functions, having a suitable home in their neighbourhood, town or city is essential. In these cases, housing is not only a right, but on many occasions forms part of the treatment of these residents, given that being part of neighbourhood life, living with their family, partner or companions, forming relations with neighbours and having access to community resources are essential to achieve their social integration. In some cases, such housing may include support services or be supervised.
    All these measures can increase personal autonomy and independence, emotional comfort and social cohesion.
 

OBJECTIVE

  • Build accessible and practicable housing without architectural barriers that limit the activity of people with functional diversity.
  • Guarantee that everyone has access to the spaces of the building and to housing in the same conditions.
  • Foster the autonomy and safety of people with functional diversity.

PROPOSALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Proposals and recommendations for the development of housing (public and private)

In general, it will be necessary to develop accessible apartment buildings that are at least practicable: design without architectural barriers and for all (children, the elderly, people with motor, sensory, mental or intellectual functional diversity) in such a way that not only can they access the building without any problems, but they can also move freely and without barriers throughout all the spaces that make up the building and their homes.

Therefore, it will be necessary to plan accessibility from the perspectives of mobility, communication and understanding, and plan actions that improve or remove existing problems.

Actions in relation to motor and sensory functional diversity:

  • Take into account the criteria set by regional and state regulations on accessibility and the CTE DB-SUA: accessible routes; usable spaces; dimensions of doors and circulation spaces; facilities in bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms; surface area of the rooms.
  • Prepare a plan for the removal of architectural barriers in the building.
  • Prioritise the use of ramps (they must have the regulatory slope and rails). If there is no space to install a ramp, prioritise the use of lifting platforms (vertical lifts) that can be used by everyone. In contrast, stair lifts can only be used by wheelchair users, which is not in accordance with universal design criteria.
  • Incorporate continuous rails on stairs and ramps, especially at the end and the beginning.
  • Avoid the installation of obstacles in community spaces (signs, display cases, etc.).
  • Use flooring, textures and colours that make it easy to distinguish zones.
  • Lifts with adapted buttons

Actions in relation to mental and intellectual functional diversity

  • Foster housing with common services that make life easier for people with functional diversity. The following point includes proposals and recommendations for the administration, although private developers such as social bodies or foundations may also implement these actions.


Proposals and recommendations for the administration

Actions in relation to motor and sensory functional diversity

  • Foster the drafting and application of accessibility plans for buildings based on aid for renovations, fiscal benefits or support for funding.
  • Consolidate a reserve of adapted and protected homes based on the development of apartment buildings with these conditions, even though all official protected housing developments already have a compulsory reserve of 3% (rounding up the figure) (Art. 28 of Decree 106/09 on the registration of housing applicants).
  • Offer mediation teams to facilitate, especially, the installation of lifts, but also other accessibility improvement measures in buildings.
  • Draft projects for the installation of lifts in residential developments where the project may be applicable to different communities.
  • Grant subsidies to improve accessibility in both the building and the individual dwellings. In this sense it must be taken into account that on many occasions the people who most need improvements do not have the necessary financial capacity to carry them out and therefore it will be necessary to provide them with funding mechanisms and subsidies so they can meet 100% of the cost of the intervention.
  • Foster the implementation of the Building Record as a mechanism to schedule and make viable the building’s renovation processes. To make this possible the following can be done:
    • Define a building record model that can be applied directly by the residents associations. In this sense, deadlines can be established to renovate and review the various elements of the building. This is how it is systematically done in nearby countries like France and Belgium. This mechanism could facilitate the standardisation of the review and development of maintenance actions in the buildings by means of the imposition of minimum requirements by councils.
    • Give subsidies for their implementation.
    • Condition the granting of subsidies to the implementation of the Building Record and its subsequent completion.
    • Have technical teams head the monitoring of the building and carry out the actions planned in the Building Record.

Actions in relation to mental and intellectual functional diversity

  • Transfer of protected housing to organisations for people with functional diversity so they can develop independent life projects.
  • Offer or foster common services for the independent life of people with functional diversity. The various models include:
    • Homes with a support service and care homes. See http://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/accessible/ca/guia-recursos/habitatges-amb-serveis-comuns
    • Satellite housing: housing occupied by people who live with their family, or with a companion, or alone and have home assistance and supervision in accordance with their needs.
    • Supervised housing, cohabitation units in which generally four to six people have chosen to live together and share their everyday lives. They usually have the support of social workers during the day.
    • Assisted living facilities. Housing in which there are four to six people who need external help to organise their everyday cohabitation. They have a permanent staff of social workers.

REFERENCE EXPERIENCES

Information only available in Catalan

 

 

 

LEGISLATION

Drets

  • Reial decret legislatiu 1/2013, de 29 de novembre, pel qual s’aprova el text refós de la Llei general de drets de les persones amb discapacitat i de la seva inclusió social - BOE 3 de desembre de 2013, núm. 28
  • Llei 26/2011, d’1 d’agost, d’adaptació normativa a la Convenció internacional sobre els drets de les persones amb discapacitat - BOE 2 d’agost de 2011, núm. 184
  • Reial Decret 1414/2006, d'1 de desembre pel qual es determina la consideració de persona amb discapacitat als efectes de la Llei 51/2003, de 2 de desembre d'Igualtat d'oportunitats, no discriminació i accessibilitat universal de les persones amb discapacitat - BOE 16 de desembre de 2006, núm. 300

Accessibilitat

Habitatges amb serveis comuns

  • Ordre de 20 d’abril de 1988, per la qual s’estableix el Programa d’ajuts d’accés als habitatges amb serveis comuns per a persones amb disminució derivada de malaltia mental i s’obre la convocatòria pública per establir la relació de les entitats col·laboradores del Programa - DOGC de 4 de maig de 1998, núm. 2631

Residències

STUDIES AND TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION

OTHER LISTINGS OF THE GUIDE

  • Àmbit Habitatge Fitxa "Envelliment" 
  • Àmbit Habitatge Fitxa "Barreres arquitectòniques"
  • Àmbit Espai públic com a promotor de salut. Fitxa "Accessibilitat"
  • Àmbit Planificació urbana Fitxa "Ciutat accessible per a tothom"

More information about addressing the Public Health Service: entornurbasalut@diba.cat

Date of last update:
dt., 11 de maig 2021 12:41:37 +0000