Toward Culturally Sensitive Housing
A guest blog post by Tasoulla Hadjiyanni, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Interior Design, University of Minnesota
Anyone who cooks from scratch knows the implications of that daily activity on kitchen spaces, the cook, and the family: the mess that has to be cleaned, the amount of food, utensils, and other items that have to be stored, the steam and smells generated that can overtake the rest of the house. At the same time, ending the day with a delicious meal accompanied by lively family conversations around the table can be priceless. It fosters connections with family members, transfers healthy eating habits to the younger generations, and helps craft meaning and memories. The question that confronts designers and planners of housing is how can peoples' efforts to create meaning in their lives be supported at a time when we all speak, cook, eat, sleep, socialize, pray, dress, etc. in so many different ways?
companies, Marvin Windows and Doors and Polaris Industries -- both of which are asking for state help to increase the supply of housing affordable across the income spectrum.
