Is Green Housing Healthy Housing? A Question for Seniors
The paper describes the research design and methodology of a quasi-experimental study spanning 36 months (and three data collection panels), examining the health and IEQ outcomes and healthcare benefits/costs of a green housing renovation for seniors in Phoenix, Arizona. Since data collection is ongoing, no statistical findings are presented. Lessons learned to date regarding the intervention and methodological process are discussed.
With green building standards increasingly embedded in residential construction, the need to assess their impact on indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and human health becomes more critical “to ensure that green housing and healthy housing are in fact synonymous” (USDHUD, 2009, p. 8). There is little research to date that has systematically examined this, and none has focused on low-income seniors. Sponsored by a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, this research incorporates a multidisciplinary team effort and perspective, involving social ecologist and housing researcher, nursing faculty, architect, energy specialist and environmental engineers, healthcare economist, and visual communication professional.
