Families are undoubtedly cautious about celebrating Thanksgiving this year as the country’s coronavirus pandemic hits scary new heights. But updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer clarity.

To the uninformed observer stopping by University of Nevada, Las Vegas architecture professor Dak Kopec’s Health in the Built Environment course, the class may look like a lot of fun and games. Students with hula hoops around their waists try to navigate narrow spaces. Others move around the room wearing glasses that produce tremendous glare and compromise their vision.

Autumn in the Las Vegas Valley is an odd time when desert dwellers make statements about enjoying “cool” weather that may wander into the 80s or 90s; meanwhile, the rest of the country grapples with temperatures that brush up against freezing point. With our version of “cool” weather officially here, many of us yearn for that true autumn feel experienced, say, in Chicago, New York or somewhere else in the Midwest or East Coast.

Aging in place is more than a trendy term for senior adults who plan to remain in their homes, rather than move to a nursing home or assisted living facility, as they get older. It’s a significant and increasingly popular lifestyle choice that encourages elder well-being.

The real estate market identifies major demand for spacious properties and homes in high standard condominiums in the interior since the beginning of the pandemic. Are we experiencing an urban exodus?

To the uninformed observer stopping by University of Nevada, Las Vegas architecture professor Dak Kopec’s Health in the Built Environment course, the class may look like a lot of fun and games. Students with hula hoops around their waists try to navigate narrow spaces. Others move around the room wearing glasses that produce tremendous glare and compromise their vision.

Patients probably won’t be flipping through issues of People and Reader’s Digest in waiting rooms this fall or even next year. The magazines will disappear, as may the decor and soft lighting that are supposed to keep patients relaxed. To keep patients and staff safe from COVID-19, many hospitals, clinics and medical practices are currently directing patients to wait in their cars before their doctor appointments.

The open-air spaces, soft colors, and diffused natural light at First Place Apartments in Phoenix and the Delores Project in Denver could transfer to almost any contemporary residential space. Their welcoming tones demonstrate a mass appeal. More important, though, those design elements also offer a lifeline to traumatized individuals trying to gain a foothold on life.