Amy John

The goal of this project is to encourage residents of the Garden District in Warren, Ohio, to reimagine the historic homes and spaces in their neighborhood; to consider desired amenities and the required population density; to imagine living, working, and playing differently in the Garden District.The Garden District in Warren, Ohio, is a historic community of large homes built between 1890 and 1950. For this project, I was charged with reimagining these homes as more than living spaces — work spaces, play spaces and living spaces combined. The average household in Warren consists of only two people. 35.6% of Warren households are single person, and 57% of all households are renters. The enormous single-family homes don’t seem to fit the current population. Where are the renters living? Where will they live if the Garden District houses remain single-family homes? Would the residents of the Garden District like to remain in a strictly residential neighborhood of grand single-family homes? Or would they prefer an occasional coffee shop or doctor’s office? The goal was to challenge residents of the Garden District to redefine their district and to consider all of the residents — singles, renters, and families — and give them not only a home, but a complete neighborhood. Developing Gardens is a prompt that will hopefully lead to a new way of thinking about living.