An Evaluation of Universal Design Approach in Design Practice: The Case of Housing Design Practice in North Cyprus

Today, there is a growing appreciation of the extensive benefits of universal design (UD) in various design professions. To achieve these benefits, design professionals and especially architects must have the knowledge and skills to implement UD in practice, and housing is an important part of the building typologies that requires a new outlook as the demography of users also change. This research investigates UD in the context of recent architectural housing design practice in North Cyprus and questions the reasons behind why there is a scarce of integrated/human-centred housing design examples. It traces the reasons behind this fact, whether it is the changing attitudes in the culture of architectural education, or it is the lack of continuous professional development (CPD) or the user and/or client profile. For this purpose, an online survey has been organized to review the inclinations of the local architects from a wide range of ages, sex, and educational background. Keywords: universal design; architecture; housing design, architectural education; continuing professional development; North Cyprus.