It's definitely the latter; it's more a historical precedent. If you look at the best practices right now, there are some great organizations in B.C. that have incorporated good design. You don't see those long dead-end hallways. You don't see walking paths that terminate at a door. You do see things like visual way-finding cues like memento boxes outside of people's rooms. You see doors painted different colours so a resident knows which room is theirs. You see walking paths. You see access to activities that you can do spontaneously to combat issues of boredom.
