6.03.2009

Little Mountain Housing


Wowie! Good turnout on Sunday. We had a great hop, albeit hot, at the Little Mountain Housing site. Nearly abandoned, save for two or three courageous holdouts still living in their apartments, this sad and tormented housing area was a site for veterans' housing in the 1950s and later a social housing tract governed by the province.

The sterile design is reminiscent of barracks. The architecture of the shed overpowers any sense of liveability. Despite this, people still called this place home - and for decades.

My vision has community gardens in between the buildings and main floor level retail and business co-ops on the edges. Little ateliers where social housing would dovetail with progressive skills and professional development models. Hiring out of the community and proceeds to be folded back into the neighbourhood.

Instead a developer bought the rights to build it up, with a market component and evicted residents. Now they are bankrupt and the public waits... There's a housing and homeless crisis in our city and Little Mountain is boarded up.

Hmmm.

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