In this 90 day project, older tenants living in South Australia's social housing were asked how their needs could be met in order to inform future housing developments. The project included a series of workshops culminating in a forum where tenants and industry stakeholders co-designed future housing for older people.
Problems and Purpose
As part of a 90 day Change@SA project, South Australians were asked how their housing needs can be met as they grow older. The aim of the project was to understand how housing and neighborhoods can be designed to enhance South Australia’s reputation as an age-friendly state [1].
The project involved a range of processes including small group discussions, a co-design forum and expert advisory panel.
Background History and Context
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Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities
The innovation for older people’s housing project was part of a 90 day project with Change@SA. Change@SA is a government funded initiative that funds and runs 90 day projects that aim to address complex problems by bringing together a wide range of stakeholders for collaboration [2]. A number of organisations were involved including the Office for the Aging and Renewal SA, both offices of the Government of South Australia. The forum was facilitated by democracyCo.
Participant Recruitment and Selection
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Methods and Tools Used
What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation
The project involved a range of workshops and forums with older housing tenants, industry professionals and stakeholders [3]. An expert advisory panel oversaw the process.
A first workshop was held with housing tenants, followed by a separate workshop with industry and stakeholders. A third workshop brought all the participants together for a co-design forum. This forum was facilitated by older people who volunteered as peer facilitators and who had received special training. The involvement of older people as both forum participants and facilitators helped ensure that their voices were heard during the process [4].
The workshops identified a range of principles and values that should help guide the design of future housing and precincts for older people.
Influence, Outcomes, and Effects
The views gathered through the process have been fed to the various government offices and stakeholder organisations involved in older people’s housing. In addition to this, Renewal SA are stated as ‘considering’ using a similar approach in future consultations [5].
Analysis and Lessons Learned
One purported benefit of the 90 day projects is that the short time frame ‘is well understood across state government and provided a positive imperative to accelerate the project’ [6]. At the same time, it was recognized that limited time meant less time could be spent engaging with stakeholders.
See Also
References
[1] Public Sector SA (2017). 90 Day Design Innovation in Social Housing Project – Case Study. Available at: https://publicsector.sa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/90-Day-Innovation-in-Social-Housing-Project-case-study.pdf
[2] Public Sector SA (2019). 90 Day Projects. Available at: https://publicsector.sa.gov.au/culture/90-day-projects/
[3] Public Sector SA (2017). 90 Day Design Innovation in Social Housing Project – Case Study. Available at: https://publicsector.sa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/90-Day-Innovation-in-Social-Housing-Project-case-study.pdf
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid, p2.