A Grounded Theory of Dignified Design Informed by Residents and Staff in Permanent Supportive Housing
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This study addresses a critical and timely issue—how the built environment can support dignity for individuals experiencing housing instability. Common definitions of dignity include autonomy, respect, self-determination, freedom, and equality. For people experiencing housing and health instability, everyday life is extremely stressful, and the built environment can play a critical role in supporting psychological and somatic regulation (Devlin 2018). Ajeen and colleagues (2023) found that many participants perceived that trauma-informed design updates for homeless shelter bedrooms increased their experiences of dignity and safety. For this study, a practice-embedded research team collected observations of use at various supportive housing sites, documented through photos and note-taking, and conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups in two phases with a total of 115 resident and staff participants. The team inductively analyzed this large dataset of text and images using grounded theory methods. Analysis revealed that the experiences of comfort, community, and control are deeply interdependent and together create a rich and layered sense of safety for participants. Key design attributes—categorized as sensory engagement, nested layers, and identity anchors—emerged as critical for creating an atmosphere of dignity, which significantly contributed to the overall experience of dignity for participants. Ultimately, the research resulted in a grounded theory model of Dignified Design, establishing a framework for architects, designers, and other creators of service-oriented spaces.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Jennifer Wilson, Christina Bollo, Rachelle Macur, Becca Mann, Maxine Metzger
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