A sustainable community within a sustainable district : a multigenerational development in Overport, Durban.

Abstract

In South Africa an increasing elderly population is necessitating the need for alternative forms of retirement. The current facilities that have existed for the past 50 years cater exclusively to the economic affluent of society. These facilities, outdated in there architectural design; ignore the vital concept of social integration and falls short of offering the elderly a meaningful sense of purpose for the remaining years of their lives. The two fold problem addressed in this research is the isolation and voluntary segregation of the aged. It is hypothesized that integrating the elderly with a mixture of generations will prompt reciprocal care, economic activities and knowledge transfer amongst each other, ultimately creating social sustainability within a community. Therefore the aim of this research is to create a sustainable community within a sustainable district. The research method of this study is a mixed method which allows for a holistic understanding of the elderly and their needs. International precedent studies and local case studies were analysed and augmented with first-hand accounts in the form of interviews, questionnaires and observations. Since this dissertation is towards an architectural intervention, a multigenerational development geared towards the needs of the elderly is proposed as the building typology.