Aging in Place in Hawaiian Communities: Promoting Sustainability in Paradise

Sustainability has become an increasingly important field over the past few decades, especially in relation to the field of urban planning and development. Sustainable communities play a pivotal role in balancing residents' current and future needs while nurturing diversity within the community. Elements such as economic diversity, mixed land use, walkability, green spaces, varying age groups, and efficient resource and service provision cultivate sustainable communities that encourage residents to age in place. Urban planning is focused on promoting the presence of these elements in communities, but the process of turning them into reality is often difficult due to existing infrastructure, lack of resources, and failure to receive government approval. When communities fail to provide residents with the facilities necessary to foster sustainability, instability often follows as residents do not favor aging in place in communities that do not meet their current needs or will not meet their future needs. Accessory dwelling units have emerged as a strategy for encouraging and allowing aging in place to occur in the United States. Some states have legalized the development of these units to increase urban density and to provide affordable housing options in cities where residents might not be able to afford other options. Accessory dwelling units are a potential solution to address the housing affordability crisis in Hawaii by encouraging aging in place and supporting multigenerational families. Encouraging aging in place allows Hawaiian communities to become more sustainable by supporting multiple generations. Hawaii is one of the states that have legalized accessory dwelling units to address issues in the state housing market, which has provided the state with a new opportunity to experiment with an affordable housing solution that aligns with the state’s cultural values. The island state of Hawaii provides a unique opportunity to dissect the importance of sustainable communities and aging in place. Native Hawaiians place tremendous cultural emphasis on the family unit, which makes the state an excellent place to encourage sustainable design in communities to facilitate aging in place. Hawaii has struggled to develop sustainable communities historically with a growing tourism industry that provides significant revenue to the state government playing a large role in the state’s housing market. This has contributed to an unsustainable situation in Hawaii where it has become more difficult to age in place over time. Given this situation, this report will address the following research question: What factors limit the ability of Hawaiians to “age in place” and how might accessory dwelling units help promote an environment of sustainable communities in Hawaii that fosters such aging in place? To address this question, the existing literature will be utilized to highlight areas that promote housing affordability and aging in place as well as to highlight areas that are detrimental to aging in place across the state and at the county level. This thesis seeks to provide context for the factors that have prevented sustainable community development by conducting a literature review that encompasses the current state of housing development in Hawaii. Data from the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization will be used to portray the current state of housing development in each Hawaiian county. My methods will examine how the state of Hawaii has previously utilized accessory dwelling units and discuss the potential for these developments given the statewide barriers Hawaiians face and the connection between Hawaiian culture and these units.