Training

UD For You! Incentivizing Universal Design in Multi-Family Development

Universal Design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for specialized design.  For residential development, universal design can better equip older adults and people with disabilities to live safely in their homes. Core elements of universal design for residential development include no-step entries, open layouts and flexible bathroom and kitchen designs in a highly marketable package.

Residential universal design strategies have primarily been applied to single-family development; however, there are substantial opportunities for universal design in multi-family projects, which is a preferred option for many households.

This virtual workshop will:

• Review the national landscape of residential universal design implementation and how the Kansas City area fits into the picture.
• Highlight strategies used by Roeland Park, Kansas, to incentivize the application of universal design in a multi-family residential development.
• Provide recommendations for city-level ordinances that enable the use of universal design incentives, including recommendations for multi-family development.