Learning Agreement

-
LEARNING AGREEMENT



1. THE CHOSEN SITE & RESEARCH TOPIC/ISSUES YOU WISH TO STUDY

STRATEGY FOR FUTURE HOUSING PLAN IN MULTI-GENERATIONAL LIVING

A house symbolizes the passage from the public area to private and from the external world to the internal world. (Cristoforetti A, 2011) It is regarded as a safety shelter, a place to provide the sense of security, protection as well as to the vulnerable people, including the elderly group. As people entering the aging process, a suitable and comfortable place is necessary to cater their retirement lifestyle.
Ageing is inevitable. Malaysia’s population is ageing at a faster rate than many may have realised. The average life expectancy for women and men in Malaysia is 76 and 73 years, respectively. The elderly population in Malaysia has increased significantly from 0.5 million in the 1970’s to about 2.8 million in 2015.
            Nowadays, it is common that low and modest seniors are having trouble in finding safe housing they can afford but that can still meet their physical needs. The availability of subsidized housing for seniors is becoming less and this shows that elderly housing and aspirations often being neglected or not given proper emphasis in the housing programmes of Malaysia.
This circumstances has prompted the formulation of the key research question i.e. what are the housing aspirations and future housing plans for the elderly in Malaysia.
            On the other hand, Malaysian society is rapidly transforming into an urban society and this has affected the Malaysian way of life. Traditionally, Malaysians practice the norm where the elderly co-reside with their children. However, with increased urbanisation and modernisation, the social characteristics of Malaysian have also gradually changed in tandem. These changes has expanded educational and job opportunities, promoted the migration of the younger populations to the urbanised areas. This separated them from their family and family bonding which is so important in Asian culture is being neglected.
            In Asian culture, the responsibility of caring for elderly parents tends to fall on the shoulders of the children and their extended family. Unfortunately, as we become more educated and career-minded, having another family member to take care of while juggling a challenging job and bringing up a family is often perceived as an extra burden.
            Despite the challenging economic environment, middle-class income group are often overlooked. They need to work full-time to support family income, yet working part-time to take care of own parents or spouse parents. Some of them are considered as “Sandwich Generation” whom they have children still living in home in addition to elderly parents. It is stressful for them when the market rents for independent housing or institutional housing is high and is unaffordable for them. Meanwhile, there is of course lots of housing schemes such as MYHOME Scheme and PRIMA is being promoted to assist the low to middle income group in Malaysia. However, homes in these area contains only 2 to 3 bedrooms, there is no place for them to accommodate their parents.
            Hence, these issues are being prompted and strategies as well as solutions are being developed in order to solve problems faced by both generations. Strategies such as multi-generational housing is being investigated and developed to solve the problems in caregiving yet providing emotional support to the elderly parents. Future housing plans in Malaysia which support multi-generational living is being studied in term of space planning as well as sustainability and affordability. Different approach into both traditional method such as traditional Malay kampong house, Chinese courtyard house and Sarawak longhouse as well as modern method such as Dual-key concept will be studied in order to develop the housing plans that meet the needs from both generations.
           



2. OUTLINE OF REPORT AND HOW YOU WISH TO CARRY OUT YOUR OBJECTIVES   

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Housing and Housing Aspiration
Housing is one of the human basic needs, and generally, it symbolised as a space where independence, freedom and security are expected. Human Rights Education Associates (2011) stated that housing fulfils physical, psychological, social and even economic needs of a person. For instance, housing fulfils the physical needs by providing shelter and security. Housing also fulfils the psychological needs by providing him a sense of personal space and privacy.
In some ways, a house also gives a sense of protection, security and comfort especially to a vulnerable group of people like the elderly. A house is of a significance to the elderly as it fulfilled the essential need for safety and shelter.
Housing aspirations can be defined as a ‘realisable target or goal’ which will affect the housing behaviour as well as the housing choices for type of property and locations. Therefore, a survey will do to examine the housing aspirations of the elderly in Malaysia in order to develop future housing plans which meet the both physical and economic needs of elderly in Malaysia.
(SURVEY RESULTS): Current Housing and Housing Preference


1.2  Malaysian Elderly and The Aging Phenomenon
World Health Organization (2012) defined elderly as those aged 60 years and older. The Department of Statistics Malaysia (2010) recorded that the elderly population in Malaysia is about 8 percent of the population in Malaysia. There is 2.8 million elderly out of 28.5 million Malaysians. This figure is projected to increase annually. It is forecasted that by the year 2020 about 10 percent of the population in Malaysia will consist of persons aged 60 and above.
      In Malaysia, the issues of elderly needs and aspirations are often being neglected or not given proper emphasis. The need to understand the key issues surrounding the needs and aspirations of elderly is crucial to reform the existing policy and framework for residential segment.
(SURVEY RESULTS): General Information


1.3  Asian Culture on Responsibility of Caring for Elderly Parents
There is a Chinese saying: store up grains against famine and rear sons for help in old age. In Asian culture, the responsibility of caring for parents tends to fall on the shoulders of the children and their extended family. In fact, it was fairly common for childless couples or unmarried individuals to adopt a child so that they would have someone to care for them when they are old.
      There is a belief that sending a senior to Old Folks Home is considered cruel, irresponsible and unfilial. Filial piety is an important in our culture and if the senior citizens lived in Old Folks Home, his or her children are considered to abandon them, didn’t take the responsibility to look after their parents.
(Survey) Agree on the responsibility of caring for elderly parents


Chapter 2: CURRENT HOUSING PROBLEMS AND ISSUES
2.1  Physical Needs
- Seniors are having trouble in finding safe housing yet meet their physical needs.
- Facility and Disability Features, Universal access
- The width of walkway for wheelchair and safe installation in bathroom and toilet; Staircase
- Health services nearby.
- Space planning: floor plans to accommodate family members without sacrificing comfort
- (Site visit to current housing, observation and interviews)
- Surveys results



2.2 Economic Needs
- The availability of subsidized housing for elderly is less.
- Elderly spends more of their income into housing.
- Challenging economic environment, middle-income group cannot afford providing for their parents the city’s high cost of living.
- As their parents age, it is highly risky to leave them alone at home but it is unable for them to quit their jobs to look after their parents.
-Property prices climbing beyond the affordability of buyers. The average house price in Kuala Lumpur was RM772,116 in 2016.
- Average percentage of monthly expenditure for family. (Survey)

2.3 Social and Psychological Support
- Family Relationship and bonding
- Staying far away from family members, unable to take care of them.
- The frequency of visiting parents: (Survey)
- Filial priority
-Valued emotional support from family members through listening, counselling and companionship.
- Grandparents or parents monitoring, lack of freedom and privacy.
- Ways in overcome conflict and argument.


Chapter 3: MULTI-GENERATIONAL LIVING (Goal to be achieved)
3.1 Economic Aspects
3.2 Social and Psychological Aspects


Chapter 4: STRATEGIES IN PAST AND CURRENT MULTI-GENERATIONAL LIVING
(How do they function as a unit)
4.1 Sarawak Longhouse
4.2 Traditional Chinese Courtyard House
4.3 Traditional Malay Kampong House
4.4 Dual-Key Concept in Urban Lifestyle
4.5 Split-Level Home

Case study (Local and International)
Ara Green Residences, Ara Damansara
The Green Leaf of Retirement, Sepang
Multi[4]-Generational Housing, Singapore (Completed 2014)
Modern Neo-Siheyuan Inspired Home in Fukuoka, Japan
Super Kampong – The Case of Ruban Growth


Chapter 5: THE PRINCIPLES OF AFFORDABLE AND SUSTAINABLE HOUSING
5.1 Modular Shell Homes
5.2 Prefabricated Modular House


Chapter 6: PROPOSED SOLUTION FOR FUTURE HOUSING PLANS
6.1 Accessibility, Facilities and Amenities
6.2 Space Planning
6.3 Construction Method and Materials



Chapter 7: CONCLUSION

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chapter 3: Strategies in Designing Multi-Generational Housing : Overall Space Planning（Updated on 15/11/2017)

-
Image
Chapter 3: Strategies in Designing Multi-Generational Housing In searching for the ideal living condition, people would prefer to keep in touch with their family as well as to express love and caring along with the psychological support. A recent survey shows that there is 38% of the survey respondents would want to live with family in the same house while 32% of them would want to live with their family in the different compound within the same housing area. Practice of multi-generational living were still being supported and agreed by the community nowadays. Chart 17 shows the ideal living condition from the targeted survey respondents. Meanwhile, in order to promote multi-generational living efficiently, elements such as communication, togetherness, privacy and others would need to be kept in mind. Therefore, different strategies were being analysed with the aim to promote multi-generational living as an option in future hou...
Read more

Chapter 4: Independence Unit Layout Design (Updated on 22/11/2017)

-
Image
Chapter 4: Independence Unit Layout Design Neighborhood atmosphere is important in remaining one to be social active. However, maintaining appropriate social boundaries is essential for a person to relax and feel at ease. Space and privacy is important for a people to be alone as it helps to avoid one from the psychological burden. Therefore, the idea of independence unit to be built within the social co-housing is aimed to create and highlight the private boundary to the users besides keeping the ease of socialization with people around.             This idea is inspired from the development of traditional Chinese courtyard house, Siheyuan. It was designed occasionally for the extended family system, typically with three generations. Houses in Siheyuan are independent for the each family group, bringing the means of privacy and freedom. It is built within an enclosed compound with the inward-facing houses at fou...
Read more

INTRODUCTION

-
Image
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION The transition from public area to private is the symbolization of a house. (Cristoforetti A, Gennai F, Rodeschini G, 2011) According to Cambridge Dictionary, house is physically a building that lived in by people. Meanwhile, housing is also regarded as one of the human basis as it works as a safety shelter in providing the sense of security and protection, as well as independence and freedom. Human Rights Education Associates (2011) states that housing should fulfils physical, psychological, social and even economic needs of a person. In some ways, a house physically gives a sense of protection and security whilst providing the users with a sense of personal space and privacy in fulfilling his psychological needs. A house is a significance to the vulnerable group of people especially the elderly as it fulfilled the essential need for safety and shelter. Hence, it is crucial and necessary for people who entering the aging process to cater their retiremen...
Read more