Community, commitment, continuance, cohesion and control: a market housing development for the alternative urban family in Point Grey, Vancouver
Creators: name: Machan, Cheryl Louise
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2009

description: For my graduation project, I endeavored to meet the challenge of designing affordable residences for the distinct population of single parent families within a heterogeneous urban environment. Issues of family, house and community were explored in order to ascertain how the needs of this particular group differed from that of the typical nuclear family. Single parents in general have excessive demands made on their time and energy and feel a greater lack of support when attempting to meet these demands. Often times involvement with another adult is either transitory or of a very limited nature. Therefore they must be more self-reliant than usual. The provision of child-care and supervision can be very difficult to accommodate in any family situation and is even more pronounced for the single parent. Other than financial worries, they may also experience a sense of isolation and loneliness. The presence of children does not compensate for the lack of adult companionship and emotional support that most adults need. Also, because a single parent often has to make frequent stops on the way to and from work or school picking up children from child care, shopping for groceries, etc., transportation and amenities ideally should be extremely accessible. Provision of convenient child care services, proximity to work, an affordable and secure environment, accessible social and support services and minimal housekeeping and maintenance responsibilities are but a few of the necessities that the single parent requires in order to attain a reasonable quality of life. Single parent's require more than just shelter. They need a supportive community as well. The site that was ultimately selected to accommodate the needs of this particular group was a half city block situated between 8th and 9th Avenue and Sasamat and Trimble Street in Point Grey, Vancouver. Amenities such as elementary and secondary schools, churches, shopping, transit routes, parks and access to downtown were primary considerations for this site selection. Daycare, teen centre, corner store, guest suites, rentable community space, office space and storage needed to be accommodated on site to address the missing amenities within the community, as well as becoming a means in which to offer something to the community in order to soften the political nature involved with densifying the area. A standard grid of 10m/35m was conformed to within the urban fabric, with the continuation of the lane as a means of relegating parking to the inner core, freeing up the Street from extra traffic. The context of single family homes was recognized with respect to the character of the neighbourhood. Actual density was doubled by 1) utilizing a smaller setback of 4-6m from the sidewalk, 2) duplexing the Street dwellings in a subversive manner 3) occupying the attic space &amp; 4) use of a lanehouse typology whereby the parking was accommodated for while at the same time inhabiting the area with one and two bedroom homes. This facilitated a heterogeneous environment with extended family members, singles, couples or single parents with one child ideally occupying these residences and activating the lane. All residences have separate entrances as well as private outdoor space, with each residence given access to at least one parking space. Inner pedestrian lanes were conceived of in order to heighten the possibility of socialization occurring among the immediate residents, as well as increasing the accessibility to each residence, parking space and garbage/recycling area. Nodes occur between clusters of four dwellings to allow for gathering, playing and pathway undulation. Familiarity of the site within the neighbourhood would help to activate the nostalgic walk through the site in recognition of the existing diagonal path with its spectacular view of Vancouver's skyline. Public amenities were relegated to the west end of the site where a link could occur with the commercially active 10th Avenue and Safeway. Each pedestrian path feeds onto this public space. Because the site has a .75m/10m drop in elevation, this slope was utilized as a means to sculpt the outdoor space in order to define a given area..ie, a node may be carved with a stairwell on either end as a means to define the space. Brick planters were utilized as buffering as well as greening devices. Please see the Architecture reading room in the basement of Laserre, U.B.C. for the written thesis and colour details.