Title: (Optional) Design a living environment to meet personal, family, and financial needs.
Course: Independent Living (22904-18) > Section: Creating and Maintaining a Living Environment

Design should account for the following needs and suggest ways in which these needs influence housing and furnishing decisions and ways in which living spaces influence human interaction, stress, and well-being:

- Physical needs of shelter and protection from the environment
- Safety needs
- Emotional needs
- Social needs
- Privacy needs
- Self-expression needs
- Self-fulfillment needs
- Budgetary needs

Teacher Resources:

- Planner 5D
- Cleaning Tips, American Cleaning Institute (ACI)

Process/Skill Questions:

Thinking

- Why is housing important to individuals? Families? Society?
- What happens when housing does not meet the needs of individuals and families?
- What could cause an individual’s or family’s housing needs to change?

Communication

- Why is it important for families to share responsibilities?
- What happens when different family members have varying approaches for completing household tasks?
- How does one form attitudes regarding what is acceptable and/or required in the living environment?
- What elements of design and space allocations need to be justified for home living spaces?

Leadership

- How do design plans ensure that family members meet their needs for privacy and self-fulfillment?
- What housing characteristics would support the emotional needs of one’s family?
- What leadership skills can one use to ensure that housing meets the family’s technology needs?

Management

- How much space is needed for social, work, and private activities?
- What management skills does one need to plan housing and furnishing purchases?
- How does a family know when home renovations are required?
- How does a family budget for home renovations and improvements?