Environmental Design for Urban Cooling, Access, and Safety: A Novel Approach to Auditing Outdoor Areas in Residential Aged Care Facilities

Chris Boulton (), Claudia Baldwin, Tony Matthews and Silvia Tavares
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Chris Boulton: Cities Research Institute, Griffith University, Southport, QLD 4215, Australia
Claudia Baldwin: Sustainability Research Center, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556, Australia
Tony Matthews: Cities Research Institute, Griffith University, Southport, QLD 4215, Australia
Silvia Tavares: School of Law and Society, Bioclimatic and Sociotechnical Cities Lab, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556, Australia

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 2, 1-22

Abstract: Strategies and guidelines for best practice environmental design typically have a singular focus and intended outcome, for example, green infrastructure management for urban cooling in a hotter climate. However, when applied to specific situations such as aged care, matters such as accessibility, wayfinding, and safety are also critical. Combining various audit tools offer multiple benefits to meet a variety of needs for thermal comfort, health, and well-being, as well as cost-effectiveness. In the absence of such a tool, using a place-based analysis, we developed a novel audit tool for external settings of residential aged care facilities (ACFs) incorporating urban cooling, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), and universal design criteria. To determine how ACFs perform in the face of increased levels of urban heat required evaluation of additional urban cooling measures. The Audit Tool was developed and tested in collaboration with ACFs across sub-tropical and tropical areas of Australia, varying in climate, scale, and urban density. Quality of life for residents, visitors, and staff of ACFs can be supported by the provision of green infrastructure to improve the thermal comfort of outdoor settings and, if located appropriately, reduce the need for an increase in internal air-conditioning. The aim of this article is to propose a user-friendly Hybrid Environmental Design Audit Tool (HEDAT) to support facility managers, planners, and design consultants to inform the prioritization and targeting of interventions and monitoring of implementation and outcomes.

Keywords: aged care; Crime Prevention through Environmental Design; universal design; green infrastructure; accessibility; shading; evaporative cooling; urban design; landscape architecture; site evaluation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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