Chronically Sustainable: Creating a Sustainable Community for the Chronically Ill
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Abstract
In a world that is rapidly changing due to climate change, there is a group of
people that are being left behind in the “green” movement. This is not new for
these people; the group has often been forgotten and under served by society
throughout history. This group is the chronically ill. With a variety of abilities
and needs, society has failed to give them the same opportunities in life as the
abled body. Buildings are required to have accessible entrances but often time
they are far from the main entrances and highlight a person’s disabilities by
inconveniencing not just only the disabled but everyone in their group. Yet, there
is even more to accessibility than ADA entrances. Accessibility has many factors
such as affordability, access to resources, and usability.
This project focuses on how to create a community that is designed for the
chronically ill with their various needs and abilities at the forefront of the design
while considering the sustainability of the project. Located outside of Phoenix,
Arizona within the Sonoran Desert, this project focuses on the ability to create
a sustainable community that caters to a demographic that has struggled to
become more sustainable due to their additional medical needs. The community
will provide for the chronically ill and their families within the master planned
community. Amenities include a community center, retail, grocery store, medical
facility, athletic facilities, and leisure facilities. The project is divided into two
parts: master planning the community and designing key community aspects.