Bart Jonkers

Een tweede leven voor de buitenwijk

A new lease of life for the suburb

 
From single-family home to communal living 

The idea for this project was inspired by my father, who lives alone in a spacious semi-detached house in the Reeshof neighbourhood of Tilburg. He barely uses the upper floor and would prefer to live in a smaller home—with less maintenance and more shared amenities, such as a communal living room or a collective garden. However, such housing typologies are hardly available in his neighbourhood, despite a growing demand for them.

In the next ten years, the number of people aged 65 and older in the Netherlands will increase by one million, and there will be 400,000 additional single-person households. At the same time, the country currently has 5.1 million family homes, but only 2.6 million families. This discrepancy inspired me to investigate how we can transform existing suburban neighbourhoods to better meet today’s housing needs.

Many senior citizens wish to remain in their familiar neighbourhoods, but their current homes no longer align with their stage of life—and suitable alternatives are lacking. As a result, large family homes are often occupied by small households, thus increasing the risk of loneliness. Meanwhile, it is becoming increasingly difficult for first-time buyers to find suitable housing. By transforming existing homes, we can create new residential models that serve the needs of both groups.

In my design, single-family houses are converted into accessible, age-friendly shared living arrangements. A ground-floor bedroom accommodates elderly residents, while an independent living unit on the upper floor provides housing for a first-time buyers or tenants or a young couple. This makes more efficient use of space and helps alleviate housing shortages.

At the block level, new opportunities arise as well: private gardens are combined into collective green courtyards, with shared amenities such as a communal living room or workshop. This encourages social interaction without compromising residents’ privacy. Public spaces in the neighbourhood are improved by reducing the dominance of car traffic and creating more room for greenery and social encounters.

With this design, I propose a realistic solution to the housing needs of both senior citizens and first-time buyers or tenants. By adapting family homes and fostering collectivity, we address not only the housing shortage but also issues such as loneliness and social isolation. The result is a future-proof, green suburban neighbourhood where people of all ages can live comfortably—exactly what my father, and many others like him, truly need.

Graduation date: 11 June 2025 
Graduation committee: Bart Bulter (mentor), Jessica Tjon Atsoi, Jan-Richard Kikkert 
Additional members for the exam: Paul Kuipers, Like Bijlsma