On Feb. 19, 2008, the Knoxville (TN) News reported the city's Metropolitan Planning Commission released a 16-page study on improving visitability locally.

It doesn't recommend city codes mandating changes. Instead, it suggests requiring visitability features in some homes getting public funding, certifying homes that meet visitability standards and creating literature to promote the idea to consumers and home builders.

People older than 65 make up the fastest-growing part of the local population, and the number of Knox Countians with disabilities grew 300 percent in a decade, from 9,938 in 1990 to 43,187 in 2000, so demand for visitable homes is expected to be strong.