Multigenerational Living in the Urban High-Rise: Designing for Hawaii's Extended Family

Abstract

As the economy continues in the direction of uncertainty, with the increasing housing cost overwhelming homebuyers across the nation, and with social, cultural, and financial aspects drawing families closer in this time of complexity, many people are searching for alternative living solutions. Many of these factors are causing families to convert their nuclear households into tolerable communal settings based on the concept of generational living. Families are finding this lifestyle a viable living alternative that responds to the various economic and social challenges occurring today. According to the data from the 2000 United States Census Bureau, approximately 3.9 million residences have been identified as residing in multigenerational households1. The census further indicates that nearly 4% of homes in the United States consist of three or more generations. Among the highest proportions of multigenerational households in the nation, Hawaii accounts for an estimated 8.2 percent of families living in an extended dwelling environment.2 Sharing living quarters with an extended family is a growing trend that concentrates on the various needs of the unit. Multigenerational households are emerging in todayʼs society because of higher life expectancy, lack of affordable housing, social/cultural influences to maintain family bonds, and financial factors. However, are current living arrangements in Hawaii appropriately designed for these conditions? With soaring housing costs and limited buildable land, Hawaii is in need of a new type of dwelling design to alleviate urban sprawl and overcrowding in homes, and to address alternative living situations. This Doctorate Project provides an in-depth analysis on multigenerational living. Through the conduction of research, personal interviews, surveys, and case studies, an urban living dwelling was designed for the generational family—an apartment unit that addresses the diversity and changeability of the familyʼs needs. This vision of the multigenerational apartment is intended to increase housing supply and/or density without rapidly transforming the urban landscape, to support a diverse population, and to support families at any income level, while adapting to the internal evolution of generations within a dwelling space. 1 United States Census Bureau, Multigenerational Households Number 4 Million According to Census 2000, (CB01-CN.18. Washington: GPO, 2001), 1. 2 Ibid., 1. As the economy continues in the direction of uncertainty, with the increasing housing cost overwhelming homebuyers across the nation, and with social, cultural, and financial aspects drawing families closer in this time of complexity, many people are searching for alternative living solutions. Many of these factors are causing families to convert their nuclear households into tolerable communal settings based on the concept of generational living. Families are finding this lifestyle a viable living alternative that responds to the various economic and social challenges occurring today. According to the data from the 2000 United States Census Bureau, approximately 3.9 million residences have been identified as residing in multigenerational households1. The census further indicates that nearly 4% of homes in the United States consist of three or more generations. Among the highest proportions of multigenerational households in the nation, Hawaii accounts for an estimated 8.2 percent of families living in an extended dwelling environment.2 Sharing living quarters with an extended family is a growing trend that concentrates on the various needs of the unit. Multigenerational households are emerging in todayʼs society because of higher life expectancy, lack of affordable housing, social/cultural influences to maintain family bonds, and financial factors. However, are current living arrangements in Hawaii appropriately designed for these conditions? With soaring housing costs and limited buildable land, Hawaii is in need of a new type of dwelling design to alleviate urban sprawl and overcrowding in homes, and to address alternative living situations. This Doctorate Project provides an in-depth analysis on multigenerational living. Through the conduction of research, personal interviews, surveys, and case studies, an urban living dwelling was designed for the generational family—an apartment unit that addresses the diversity and changeability of the familyʼs needs. This vision of the multigenerational apartment is intended to increase housing supply and/or density without rapidly transforming the urban landscape, to support a diverse population, and to support families at any income level, while adapting to the internal evolution of generations within a dwelling space. 1 United States Census Bureau, Multigenerational Households Number 4 Million According to Census 2000, (CB01-CN.18. Washington: GPO, 2001), 1. 2 Ibid., 1. As the economy continues in the direction of uncertainty, with the increasing housing cost overwhelming homebuyers across the nation, and with social, cultural, and financial aspects drawing families closer in this time of complexity, many people are searching for alternative living solutions. Many of these factors are causing families to convert their nuclear households into tolerable communal settings based on the concept of generational living. Families are finding this lifestyle a viable living alternative that responds to the various economic and social challenges occurring today. According to the data from the 2000 United States Census Bureau, approximately 3.9 million residences have been identified as residing in multigenerational households1. The census further indicates that nearly 4% of homes in the United States consist of three or more generations. Among the highest proportions of multigenerational households in the nation, Hawaii accounts for an estimated 8.2 percent of families living in an extended dwelling environment.2 Sharing living quarters with an extended family is a growing trend that concentrates on the various needs of the unit. Multigenerational households are emerging in todayʼs society because of higher life expectancy, lack of affordable housing, social/cultural influences to maintain family bonds, and financial factors. However, are current living arrangements in Hawaii appropriately designed for these conditions? With soaring housing costs and limited buildable land, Hawaii is in need of a new type of dwelling design to alleviate urban sprawl and overcrowding in homes, and to address alternative living situations. This Doctorate Project provides an in-depth analysis on multigenerational living. Through the conduction of research, personal interviews, surveys, and case studies, an urban living dwelling was designed for the generational family—an apartment unit that addresses the diversity and changeability of the familyʼs needs. This vision of the multigenerational apartment is intended to increase housing supply and/or density without rapidly transforming the urban landscape, to support a diverse population, and to support families at any income level, while adapting to the internal evolution of generations within a dwelling space. 1 United States Census Bureau, Multigenerational Households Number 4 Million According to Census 2000, (CB01-CN.18. Washington: GPO, 2001), 1. 2 Ibid., 1. As the economy continues in the direction of uncertainty, with the increasing housing cost overwhelming homebuyers across the nation, and with social, cultural, and financial aspects drawing families closer in this time of complexity, many people are searching for alternative living solutions. Many of these factors are causing families to convert their nuclear households into tolerable communal settings based on the concept of generational living. Families are finding this lifestyle a viable living alternative that responds to the various economic and social challenges occurring today. According to the data from the 2000 United States Census Bureau, approximately 3.9 million residences have been identified as residing in multigenerational households1. The census further indicates that nearly 4% of homes in the United States consist of three or more generations. Among the highest proportions of multigenerational households in the nation, Hawaii accounts for an estimated 8.2 percent of families living in an extended dwelling environment.2 Sharing living quarters with an extended family is a growing trend that concentrates on the various needs of the unit. Multigenerational households are emerging in todayʼs society because of higher life expectancy, lack of affordable housing, social/cultural influences to maintain family bonds, and financial factors. However, are current living arrangements in Hawaii appropriately designed for these conditions? With soaring housing costs and limited buildable land, Hawaii is in need of a new type of dwelling design to alleviate urban sprawl and overcrowding in homes, and to address alternative living situations. This Doctorate Project provides an in-depth analysis on multigenerational living. Through the conduction of research, personal interviews, surveys, and case studies, an urban living dwelling was designed for the generational family—an apartment unit that addresses the diversity and changeability of the familyʼs needs. This vision of the multigenerational apartment is intended to increase housing supply and/or density without rapidly transforming the urban landscape, to support a diverse population, and to support families at any income level, while adapting to the internal evolution of generations within a dwelling space. 1 United States Census Bureau, Multigenerational Households Number 4 Million According to Census 2000, (CB01-CN.18. Washington: GPO, 2001), 1. 2 Ibid., 1.