[Mentally handicapped: developing a personality of their own. Tasks in the planning of housing facilities]

The bases for material existence of mentally handicapped people is actually guaranteed in European countries, but the possibility for them to choose their own way of life is still strictly limited. The "principle of normalization" which is put forward here as a planning principle has nothing to do wih the normality of people but tends to normalize their living conditions. A mentally handicapped person should be allowed to live like any other citizen of his country as fat as he is capable to. Departing from the course of life which is usual in a certain country we have to plan an amount of institutions and services of assistance in order to diminish gradually the segregation of the mentally handicapped. Subsequently a concept for organizing the network of institutions and services needed is proposed, and a short outline of the actual situation of mentally handicapped people in the Kanton of zürich (Switzerland) is given. Hence the author presents 2 examples of environmental conditions which can be planned and built: - Dwelling establishements for mentally handicapped adults - The school for mentally handicapped children at Humlikon (Switzerland).