Diane Y. Carstens | GSI

Diane Y. Carstens

Consultant
dcarsens@gsi.org

Diane Carstens has worked in the field for over 25 years, and has been part of the GSI team since 1986. She serves as a consumer researcher for GSI as well as project director on numerous assignments. She has completed over 80 studies, including the design and analysis of surveys in Russian and Chinese.

Diane’s other area of specialization is design. She is the author of Site Planning and Design for the Elderly, a respected text in the field, and wrote the first design section for AAHSA’s Retirement Housing Professional’s study guide. She oversees the design review portion of our work, working with architects and designers on project development teams. She has served on the faculty of the Harvard Graduate School of Design’s Summer Seminar series.

Diane is a graduate of Mills College and received her Master’s Degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana.

Professional Experience

1995 – present:__Vice President, Gerontological Services, Inc., Santa Monica, CA
1986 – 1995:__VP of Planning and Design, Gerontological Services, Inc., Santa Monica, CA
1985 – 1986:__Director of Planning and Research, LeisureCare/Leisure Technology, Inc., Chicago, IL
1983 – 1985:__Project Manger, Project for Public Spaces, Inc., New York, NY
1981 – 1982:__Researcher, Housing Research and Development, U. of Illinois, Urbana, IL
Education

  • University of Illinois, Urbana, IL; Master of Landscape Architecture/Applied Research
  • Mills College, Oakland, CA; Bachelor of Arts, Psychology



Professional Memberships

  • American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
  • Environmental Design Research Association
  • Aging Services of California



Awards and Honors

  • “Who’s Who in the West”, Marquis Who’s Who, 22nd edition, 1990
  • Environmental Design Research Association, Research paper award, 1982

  • American Society of Landscape Architects, Certificate of Honor, Illinois, 1981



Past Community Service

  • Department of Health, Bureau of Licensure and Certification, State of Alabama.
  • Environmental Design Research Association, proposal and awards reviewer.
  • Advisor/Resource Committee, Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Illinois
  • S.W. Regional Council Representative, NASLI
  • Invited participant, “Toward Empowering the Minority Elderly”, a working conference sponsored by AARP
  • Consultant/Advisor:  Senior Health and Peer Counseling Center
  • Design awards juror:  American Society of Landscape Architects, California Chapter
  • National Association of Home Builders, Council on Senior Housing



Testimony and Lectures

  • American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
  • Harvard Graduate School of Design, visiting faculty 1987-90, 1994
  • California Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
  • California Association of Retirement Centers
  • Mayor’s Office for the Disabled, City of Los Angeles
  • Oregon Association of Homes for the Aging
  • National Association of Home Builders
  • National Association for Senior Living Industries
  • National Real Estate Development Center
  • Northwest Center for Continuing Education
  • Environmental Design Research Association
  • University of Illinois, visiting faculty
  • University of Maryland, visiting faculty
  • Rutgers University, visiting faculty
  • Urban Land Institute
  • Building Design Issues and Aging Conference, University of Rhode Island



Books and Articles

  • “Environmental Design” section of the National Certification Program for Retirement Housing Professionals, Training Manual.  American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, Washington, DC, 1995.
  • Site Planning and Design for the Elderly: Issues, Guidelines and Alternatives.  Diane Y. Carstens, Van Nostrand Reinhold, Co., NY, 1985. (published in the USSR, 1990)
  • “Shared Spaces in Elderly Housing”, in People Places.  Cooper-Marcus (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, Co., NY, 1990.
  • “Behavioral Research Applied to the Redesign of Exterior Spaces: Housing for the Elderly”, in Retirement Housing in Australia: Guidelines for Planning and Design.  W. Sarkissian and Perfogut (eds.), Impact Press, Australia, 1986.
  • Book reviews for the Journal of Architectural and Planning Research (1986) and Landscape Journal (1986).
  • Housing for the Elderly: A Review of Selected References.  D. Carstens and R. Clement, U. of Illinois, 1981.

“Environmental Design” section of the National Certification Program for Retirement Housing Professionals, Training Manual. American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, Washington, DC, 1995.

Site Planning and Design for the Elderly: Issues, Guidelines and Alternatives. Diane Y. Carstens, Van Nostrand Reinhold, Co., NY, 1985. (published in the USSR, 1990)

“Shared Spaces in Elderly Housing”, in People Places. Cooper-Marcus (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, Co., NY, 1990.

“Behavioral Research Applied to the Redesign of Exterior Spaces: Housing for the Elderly”, in Retirement Housing in Australia: Guidelines for Planning and Design. W. Sarkissian and Perfogut (eds.), Impact Press, Australia, 1986.

Book reviews for the Journal of Architectural and Planning Research (1986) and Landscape Journal (1986).

Housing for the Elderly: A Review of Selected References. D. Carstens and R. Clement, U. of Illinois, 1981.