How to build robust and regenerative communities in new and existing residential areas? 'Community' has not previously been incorporated as an integral part of our housing concept. Therefore, the new development project and collaboration will pave the way for the question to be answered so that strong resident communities can be built.
In a new and exciting development project in collaboration with Home.Earth and Neighborhood Lab, we will jointly explore existing residential areas, including our residential area Ammendrup Park in Helsinge. The project is supported by the Ramboll Foundation.
And why is that?
We've all seen the global trend of adding community managers to residential buildings to boost resident wellbeing and increase the economic value of the property through shared activities and services. In the short term, this can create a strong sense of community and improve quality of life, but in the long term there is a risk that residents become too dependent on community managers, which can weaken their engagement, reduce accountability and inhibit the development of natural neighborliness.
What is the project and collaboration about?
With this project, we will develop a more sustainable alternative to building communities where local capacity is anchored in the residents. Based on the project, we will develop a methodology for self-organized resident communities and publish a guide that both professional actors and private housing associations can benefit from. The method will be developed and tested through two concrete case studies in Helsinge (164 homes, Stensdal Group A/S) and Nærheden (158 homes, Home.earth). Project Manager at Stensdal Group, Betina Nørby Steinbock explains the relevance of the development project:
"At Stensdal Group, community has not previously been incorporated as a permanent part of our housing concept, and it will therefore be exciting to work on cultivating it in our residential area in Helsinge. So far, the organized community has been reserved for new construction, but we want to help pave the way for how to create community in already occupied residential areas."
A big thank you to the expert group that will follow the project, consisting of Rebecca Dillon-Robinson, Dominic Packer, Tina Gudrun Jensen, Jesse Shapins, and a big thank you to the Ramboll Foundation for supporting the project.
We look forward to sharing more along the way!