Inglewood Mini Village

Location: Edmonton, AB
Year: 2019
Status: Proposal

Problem:
Many seniors living in mature residential areas remain in houses that are too large for them because there are no affordable alternatives in their familiar neighbourhood. Their present homes are often two stories with unused bedrooms, unnecessary garages, large lawns, long walkways and a deteriorating envelope. Property maintenance becomes too expensive and yet seniors resist moving into institutions where they would lose their familiar neighbourhood and social contacts.

With seniors remaining in their homes, young families with children are not moving into mature neighbourhoods in large enough numbers to prevent under-used schools from closing their doors. When mature neighbourhood schools are closed, young families are forced to locate in sprawling suburbs resulting in greater municipal transportation and servicing costs, and less housing choice. This is particularly the case for smaller and single-parents families who would like to be closer to the centre of the city.

Proposal:
One answer to the above problem is the development of medium density projects which combine senior housing and family housing on two 50’ wide lots or 3 – 33’ wide lots in mature areas. Two houses could then be replaced by 6 family units and 6-7 seniors units around a sunlit central courtyard complete with underground parking. An on-site building manager/caregiver could help both seniors and busy families with maintenance, snow removal, and occasional transportation needs. Family units would have private lawns and direct access to an underground garage. Senior units would be one storey, overlooking and directly accessible to the courtyard. Socializing between seniors and families with children would be encouraged by the shared space. The number of units could range from 10-15 units depending on the particular in each project situation and lot sizes. This number should be sufficient to make replacement of poor aged housing stock feasible.