Designing for physical AND SOCIAL access in our suburbs & rural towns.

The principles of good dementia design have been tried and tested at the scale of the house, and have been shown to be extremely valuable in enabling independence, and reducing anxiety. So how might we “blow up” these well-honed principles, to apply them to the street and to the town? In so doing, how might good dementia design not only give someone confidence within the house, but also confidence within their community? How can we provide not only physical access to the world, but provide people with a platform for social engagement and self-confidence? How does the way we present the home in the street offer the people we care for their ultimate home? We look at a selection of projects across the suburbs and rural towns of Sydney and NSW as examples of how we can use design to engender familiarity, pride, and independence in the context of community.