# Improving Housing Accessibility to Meet the Needs of an Ageing Population: A Rapid Review of Literature

- Library record: doc-0165
- Authors: Dr Bev James, Nina Saville-Smith and Ruth Fraser
- Prepared for: Ageing Well National Science Challenge
- Publication: July 2024 on the report; CRESA's publication listing gives 18 July 2024.
- Original library capture: June 2026
- Source verification: 9 October 2026
- Bundled original: `public/pdfs/2024 - CRESA - Improving Housing Accessibility Ageing.pdf` — 66 pages, including front matter and appendices.

## Primary sources

- [Original report hosted by CRESA](https://cresa.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Rapid-review-report-18-July-final.pdf)
- [CRESA publication listing, with date and authors](https://cresa.co.nz/projects-and-publications/)

## Evidence and use

The review examines interventions for accessible mainstream new-build housing and their relevance to ageing in place in New Zealand.

- The team screened 159 references, analysed 52 core references and retained 44 contextual references. Eleven experts attended a workshop on preliminary findings (report pages 3, 5–6; PDF pages 12, 14–15).
- The synthesis supports mandatory requirements alongside training, technical guidance, funding, procurement and planning. Regulation alone is insufficient (executive summary pages ii–v; PDF pages 6–9).
- Few studies evaluated intervention effectiveness or occupants' experiences. Assessment tools largely concerned physical access, with gaps in sensory, cognitive and culturally informed approaches (same executive summary).

Policy and design teams can use this report to compare possible interventions and identify research gaps. It focuses on new-build mainstream stock; home modifications and institutional care are outside its central scope.

## Limits and provenance

The English-language search mainly covered 2014–2024. The review synthesised varied evidence narratively and did not independently verify overseas policy descriptions or subsequent legal changes (report pages 2–5; PDF pages 11–14). It does not establish current building-law requirements or a single intervention's quantified effect.

The existing PDF and publisher-hosted original were inspected; both have 66 pages. Publication, original capture and verification dates remain separate. The report states ©2024 Ageing Well National Science Challenge and the authors, permitting clearly attributed quotations of no more than two paragraphs; this brief uses an attributed summary.