Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify the universal design characteristics in residential environments. The subjects were 135 physically disabled persons who lived in the rental multi-family housing apartments in Pusan. Interview method was used for this study. They were an average age of 51 years and 63% were male. They were low income families and lived in 12 pyung ($39.75\textrm{m}^2$) apartments. They were asked about what housing characteristics were constraints in their daily living. They pointed out that the constraints in their apartments were as follows: 1) the small amount of space in the bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, and the entrance area of housing unit, 2) the unflat floor level between the bathroom and the hallway, or the balcony and the bedroom, 3) the slippery floor finish in the bathroom, 4) lack of grab bars or handrails in the bathroom and the ramp, 5) the kitchen work centers and the electric switches at improper height, and 6) the steep ramp. Therefore, the universal design characteristics in residential environments were the adequate amount of space, flat floor level, non-slippery floor finish, grab bars or handrails, accessible height, and ramp.
