Imagine living in a place where you could walk everywhere – to work, the gym, your friends place, a coffee shop, the grocery store. Would you want to live there? A place where events, fitness, work spaces and homes co-existed right outside your doorstep. A place you feel connected to and empowered by.
At Brookfield Residential, we approach each one of our developments with livability and placemaking in mind. We are dedicated to creating spaces that are inclusive, sustainable, and improve the quality of life and wellbeing of all residents.
Placemaking is an essential component of developing a livable community. It is ingrained in who we are and in the iconic and dynamic destinations we craft. Community livability includes both essential needs (transportation, housing, education, etc.) and a variety of desirable, more intangible factors (park space, community connections, culture, etc.) Features that make a community an attractive place to live, work, learn and play.
Making a special place requires weaving together the community and surroundings to create a depth of layered experiences. It means creating a moment in which people want to be a part of; a combination of excitement, sanctuary and evolution.
So how exactly are we measuring and improving livability in our communities?
Livability Research
In 2017, our residential development division began conducting strategic research to uncover what drives resident satisfaction and leads to a greater quality of life. Based on evidence and analysis, this work provides rich insights into residents and a range of new measures to help us incorporate livability into our communities.
We piloted the research with resident surveys in our Alberta and Southern California communities in 2018, to test and refine our approach. We gathered data that provided deep insights into strategies we can use to improve communities through programming and community-specific infrastructure.
Measuring Livability in Calgary Brookfield Residential Communities
In 2019 and 2020, we expanded the scope of our research to include additional communities across diverse locations in the United States and Canada (Alberta, California, Texas, and Phoenix). Of these communities was a number of Calgary developments: Cranston's Riverstone, Chinook Gate, Livingston and Seton. Leveraging the knowledge gained through initial research, we set out to study community-specific data for use in the creation of future sustainable communities.
What’s next?
Over the next five years, we aim to increase the overall feeling of belonging in our communities. We are taking specific actions to improve resident well-being and sense of belonging. This includes engaging residents on a personal level to stay on top of their needs, organizing community and cultural events to encourage neighbour connections and leveraging the homeowners association (HOA) to help people create their own sense of belonging.
At Brookfield Residential we are always looking at ways to improve our communities. The Livability Research helps us remain current with our residents' needs and ensure continuous improvements for the long term. By seeking feedback from our customers during development we are able to incorporate this feedback to shape our communities accordingly and install the infrastructure for our residents to thrive for years into the future. To learn more about Brookfield Residential communities and homes for sale, click here.