Dictionary definition of “Peter Pan housing”

Peter Pan housing

n. homes not built to take into account the needs of elderly residents. Subjects: English, Construction & Buildings, Houses & Housing

Etymological Note: In the story by J.M. Barrie, the character of Peter Pan never becomes an adult. “Peter Pan” is occasionally used in a different way to indicate a lack of maturity in a person.

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Citations: 1991 Barbara Flanagan San Francisco Chronicle (Apr. 21) “A New Kind of Old Folks’ Home” p. 11/Z1: Patrick Hare, a Washington, D.C., urban planner, calls that dream “Peter Pan housing,” designed for people who never grow old. Their Never-Never Land is the nation’s endless spread of suburbs and exurbs where real-life laws and codes only reinforce the illusion that America is eternally, expansively young. Suburbia was never conceived for an aging populace of fixed-income nondrivers. 2006 [Valley Twin] @ Roxborough PhillyBlog (Aug. 1) “The Slow Death of the Northeast”: Philadelphia is full of Peter Pan Housing—housing for people that never grow old. You’ve got living area and kitchen on first floor, bed and bath on second floor, laundry in basement (if you’re lucky enough to have it in your house). As people age and grow more frail, they can’t stay in these houses. And if they do, the cost of upkeep on a typical Philly house is way outside their budget and the house falls into disrepair. 2007 Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs (Virginia) (Jan. 9) “Fairfax County Looks at ‘Peter Pan’ Housing”: Sometimes referred to as “Peter Pan” housing, much of the housing in the county is built as though residents will never grow old or never need to house an aging relative. Features such as entry stairs, narrow doorways or lack of a first-floor bathroom can be major barriers for an older person or someone with a physical disability.

Posted 24 Jan 07 | Permalink | Tell a Friend