The Green House Project

Courtesy of FreeFoto

The title of this blog post may be a little misleading at first. The title appears to be precluding to an article about "green" residential homes. However, "The Green House Project" is actually a program designed to foster a more comfortable living environment for our nation's ever increasing elderly population.

According to the Administration of Aging, the number of persons aged 65 or older, within the United States numbered 39.6 million in 2009 and represent almost 13% of the total population. By the year 2030, there will be approximately 72.1 million older persons living in the United States! So what does all this mean in terms of urban planning? It means there will be A LOT of people who need specialized residential facilities. These facilities will either need to be newly constructed or must come from existing structures in our communities. 

Courtesy of Green House Project

The Green House Project (GHP) creates small, residential homes designed with 10-12 bedrooms, each with their own personal bathroom, and common areas such as a living room, kitchen, and outdoor areas. The elderly living in these homes receive the same type of care they would normally get in a traditional assisted-living facility, but in a more personalized environment similar to living at home with their children or grandchildren.Instead of having one large assisted-living facility the homes are situated in a neighborhood-like atmosphere with traditional yards and spacing between the homes. At first glance, these homes look like any other single-family residential facility. In more urban areas, these Green Homes can be built vertically so that each floor is a separate "Green House." There are currently more than 200 homes in 23 states. Within Florida, there are two Green House Project locations under construction in South Jacksonville and Pompano Beach. (I was really surprised there weren't any planned for the Tampa Bay area...because I am from that area and there are a TON of elderly people.)

 

GHP states on their website, "A green environment is one that supports growth through meaningful interactions with life-enhancing natural resources, such as plants, natural light and therapeutic outdoor spaces." This doesn't exactly evoke an image of sustainability but more physical greenness (i.e. connection to the outdoors). Maybe that's the reason for their name. So in any case, bringing all of this back to sustainability, what could be done to make this project more "green?" An immediate idea that came to my mind, was merging this GHP idea with the many homes that are uninhabited or abandoned due to foreclosures. Why not retrofit these existing residential facilities into elderly care facilities? (Forget about all the public outcry this might cause and just focus on the sustainability aspect.) It could spark redevelopment in communities that are in need of some tender loving care and these structures would be built in areas where there is existing infrastructure such as utilities and roads, and more importantly neighbors who could provide the social interaction desired by many elderly persons. Are there other ways that future elderly homes can be built more sustainably? Maybe, GHP could follow the lead of Atria Senior Living who incorporate LEED certifications in many of their projects.