Liget Park Project
Liget Park Project – LIving GEnerations – Together
The word „liget” means a pleasant park, where young saplings and old trees coexist, reinforcing each other. The Liget Park Project embodies this harmony by serving as a model for intergenerational communities. It will be a modern elderly residential park, where future residents are valued members of an inclusive, compassionate and open community. The initiative is rooted in the social and environmental principles of permaculture.
Hungary
Jánoshida, land register reference: 036/7
Early initiative
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
22859: Jánoshida (HU)
The central element of the project is an innovative elderly care center which offers community housing solutions for middle-aged and elderly people who wish to age consciously, as well as for people living with dementia. The central building of Liget Park will provide accommodation for elderly people with dementia and their caregivers. The ground floor of this bulilding will be open to the public, offering health and wellness services such as fitness, physiotherapy, community spaces, programs, a café and a restaurant. Other buildings within the complex will feature modern, wheelchair-accessible apartments, allowing residents to actively enjoy their retirement while being part of a vibrant village community. Should they require support, professional assistance will be readily available. The Liget Park will be surrounded by a permaculture farm, ensuring access to fresh, healthy food for both residents and the local community. The buildings are designed to be sustainable, human-scaled, comfortable, and seamlessly integrated into the natural landscape. By introducing the silver economy to this currently service-deprived region, we aim to create job opportunities and access to high-quality services for both residents and the wider local population.
The initiative provides a local response to Europe’s growing care crisis, elderly loneliness and youth migration. The project aims to achieve these objectives by starting at the individual level, strengthening local communities, regional, national and European relations. The next step of the Liget Park Project will be the completion of the main building and it’s supporting infrastructure by 2030. The main stakeholders are the citizens, closely cooperating partners, future residents, and future generations. Expected benefits: affordable housing solutions for vulnerable elderly people, reducing youth migration, maintaining community thinking. Enrichment of natural resources by developing a permaculture semi-subsistence economy
The initiative provides a local response to Europe’s growing care crisis, elderly loneliness and youth migration. The project aims to achieve these objectives by starting at the individual level, strengthening local communities, regional, national and European relations. The next step of the Liget Park Project will be the completion of the main building and it’s supporting infrastructure by 2030. The main stakeholders are the citizens, closely cooperating partners, future residents, and future generations. Expected benefits: affordable housing solutions for vulnerable elderly people, reducing youth migration, maintaining community thinking. Enrichment of natural resources by developing a permaculture semi-subsistence economy
Care crisis
community housing
social permaculture
silver economy
circular economy
The Liget Park Project is integrated into an existing settlement development concept. A circular economy (A2) model has already been implemented so far, as the municipality cultivates its own arable land, producing grain that is milled locally into flour and made available for purchase by citizens. Byproducts and leftover forage are used as animal feed on the municipality's sheep and wild boar farms. The next step in the development of this model is the creation of the permaculture garden (A3) around Liget Park, where we will produce healthy, nutrient-rich food using organic methods and community-based work for the benefit of both residents and the wider community. The garden will not only enhance local food security but also contribute to ecosystem restoration (A3), ensuring biodiversity and resilience to climate change, while also providing recreational activities for park residents (A2).
The cohousing system of Liget Park promotes energy efficiency (A1), reduces social isolation (A2), and alleviates the burden of caregiving for families by offering professional dementia care (A3).
The residential park will be built on the outskirts of Jánoshida, where infrastructure is easily accessible. Additionally, the presence of underground thermal water (A1) provides a sustainable energy source that can be integrated into the heating system of the buildings. Our sustainability-focused design also includes solar panels (A1) to further reduce the project's environmental footprint.
The implementation of the Liget Park Project aligns with the principle of giving back more to the environment, economy and society than it consumes.
Through the commitment and efforts already made, the municipality has demonstrated its dedication to implementing this project in a financially and environmentally sustainable manner for the long term
The cohousing system of Liget Park promotes energy efficiency (A1), reduces social isolation (A2), and alleviates the burden of caregiving for families by offering professional dementia care (A3).
The residential park will be built on the outskirts of Jánoshida, where infrastructure is easily accessible. Additionally, the presence of underground thermal water (A1) provides a sustainable energy source that can be integrated into the heating system of the buildings. Our sustainability-focused design also includes solar panels (A1) to further reduce the project's environmental footprint.
The implementation of the Liget Park Project aligns with the principle of giving back more to the environment, economy and society than it consumes.
Through the commitment and efforts already made, the municipality has demonstrated its dedication to implementing this project in a financially and environmentally sustainable manner for the long term
In contrast of the existing elderly care centres and nursing homes, which are widespread in Hungary, the Liget Park also performs the function of an open community centre (A2). We design the building to be handicap accessible (A1), and we also make sure that the living spaces will be comfortable and serve the needs of the still active pensioners, but also provide a safe living area for people living with dementia. Through the designing process, it was an important aspect to use traditional patterns of Hungarian folk architecture (A2) combined with modern technologies. The comfort of the residents will be further enhanced by the fact that the environment of the Park will be enjoyable for their guests and families. Open, child-friendly surroundings, where their visitors will be happy to come. In the main building there will be community spaces, a café and health care services, which are also available for citizens. (A2) „Living together” is realized on many levels. On the one hand, those in need of care can live together with their caregivers in the main building, and on the other hand, 4-5 people can move into separate apartments together, where they can retreat to their own rooms or spend time together in the common living room. (A3) „Living together” is also realized at settlement level, as the project brings a new approach to the current citizens of Jánoshida. They can get acquainted with the lives of new residents who may move in from abroad, thus they will be more responsive for other cultures and customs.(A3) Future residents will arrive in an inclusive, socially sensitive community, where they can experience togetherness. (A2) The permaculture garden also provides an opportunity for residents to try a new way of life and approach. (A3) They can take part in gardening process, so they can spend their retirement years agilely with useful and enjoyable activities, and they also have the opportunity for lifelong learning. (A3)
The Liget Park will be built on the outskirts of Jánoshida, so it will be easily accessible for current citizens, and future residents will also have easy access to other parts of the village. (A1) Even so the main point is not the geographical accessibility, but the fact that the community spaces and services in the main building will also be open for citizens of Jánoshida. (A1) Everyone can benefit from certain effects, such as joint programs, learning, or job opportunities. The project focuses primarily on particularly vulnerable strata in need of help. (A2)The elderly, and people with dementia. They are most threatened by loneliness, care crisis and housing crisis. In this centre with a new approach, they could be treated equally with the more fortunate social classes. The sensitization and involvement of the population of Jánoshida has been going on for years. It can be said that they are looking forward to its implementation. Local communities are strong, there are many civil organizations. Thus, future residents would not have to live in isolation either. (A2) There would be many new job opportunities for the inhabitants of Jánoshida, as the needs of the future residents have to be served. The implementation of the project would open up new potential in the otherwise under-represented and mostly women-driven sector; social, and care sector. (A3) For those moving in, we will offer the possibility of renting apartments in separate living units. This way, they don't have to start a lump sum, large investment, home purchase or renovation. Some residential units will be reserved for socially deprived elderly people at discounted prize. (A3) The Liget Park will be the meeting point of different generations, social groups and cultures, which will rise above the unsustainable social, economic and environmental structures of the past. (A3)
We place great emphasis on the involvement of the citizens of Jánoshida from the very beginning. In the past five years, many events and awareness-raising workshops have been organised for them. These were called under different names, but the goal was common: to educate the population of Jánoshida about their own conscious aging and to sensitize them to the implementation of the planned Liget Park Project. (UnfOlding, Jánoshida 2030, Development of conscious ageing network, Jánoshida eco-village networking, Alzheimer's café monthly, possibility of connecting abroad for young people). The programs are very popular among the citizens. They know that they will benefit a lot from the Liget Park Project. The future residents can bring new impetus and fresh knowledge into the lives of the locals. They can get to know other cultures, learn languages. They can also benefit from services installed in the Liget Park. In addition, the Park will provide employment opportunities for locals, mainly in the social sector. With the establishment of the silver economy will also indirectly increase demand for local real estate, so the value of local houses will increase. In the Park, we will also maintain some discounted housing units for socially deprived local residents. It is an interesting fact that in the past 10 years, since we have been paying special attention to the elderly, the number of people over 90 years of age in Jánoshida has doubled compared to 2010! We try to reach out to doubters and ask about their concerns. Most of all, they fear that the village will only consist of old people, and the youths will leave the village because of this. We try to explain to them that the connection of generations is beneficial for everyone, and we emphasize that the needs of young families with small children and the elderly are almost exactly the same: easily accessible buildings, a quiet, calm, safe environment, a diverse ecosystem, adequate health care and public transport.
The municipality is the owner of the project, but institutions maintained by the municipality, such as the local kindergarten, Elderly Care Center, have been involved in the planning of the Liget Park Project from the very beginning. Local social workers and health workers are also strategic partners. The population likes to participate in workshops and networking meetings, ranging from very young to old. Local entrepreneurs are happy to join the initiative and support our events with their donations. With the help of agricultural workers and farmers, we can already provide short production chains. There are dozens of NGOs, foundations and community groups in the village. Their activity, community-building ability and retaining power create the social foundations of the project. The expansion of the Conscious Ageing Network began in 2022, in which other Hungarian municipalities and researchers also participated. The project already got a prize from the National Association of Local Governments. We are working in joint projects with Habitat for Humanity and the Hungarian organization of WWF. Our national corporate partner is Rubber Solutions, which supports the initiative. The Hungarian Permaculture Association has been providing the knowledge base of permaculture funds from the very beginning. Our national media partners regularly report on the project and its progress. Consciously aging people who wanted to move in could also participate in the planning process. Our EU partner has been HEKATE Conscious Ageing Foundation in the Netherlands since the very beginning of the design. We have organized numerous tenders, awareness-raising events together. We named 4 key stakeholders, like the municipality, close co-operative NGO’s, future residents, and local civil groups. They are involved in the project from the begining. We also think of „future generations” as important stakeholders. Laying the foundations for their quality of life is a primary goal of the project.
The implementation of The Liget Park Project aims to solve a very complex problem. For this reason, the solution structure itself is very complex. Several disciplines have been working together during the design of the building. As a first step, long strategic discussions took place with the involvement of the local government, professionals working in elderly care, settlement developers, organization builders and financial experts. We examined what needs and difficulties may arise, what are the minimum official requirements for such a building. Then we discussed with architects how the complex can be landscape-friendly, disabled-friendly, (dementia-friendly) sustainable. With the involvement of energy experts, a heat energy plan is also being prepared in Jánoshida, in which the project is already included. We examined what legal steps are necessary to incorporate the territory. The completed visualisations were presented to the citizens at several forums, where further needs and questions arose. In one case, during an art workshop, citizens even made models of what they imagined the residential complex to look like! In addition, trainings were continuously held for those involved in planning and citizens to familiarize themselves with the basics of permaculture gardens. In addition, we have reported on the project at local government forums within the Association of Hungarian Local Governments, and as a best practice we have won the Elderly-Friendly Local Government Award several times at regional and national level. Through the Association, we try to bring the plans, and indeed the concept of conscious ageing, to the highest possible level of policy-making. With the physical implementation of the Park Project, cooperation between different disciplines will be even wider. We also expect to involve technical experts, sociologists, researchers, artists and educators.
Based on the latest statistics, Europe's demographic indicators show an ageing structure. Most elderly people, especially women, live alone in their households. Social care facilities are overcrowded and people choose institutional care only under pressure, because most of them do not meet the needs of modern people. Liget Park, on the other hand, offers an alternative community housing solution where people are happy to move in. Pensioners who are still active and able to take care of themselves would also like to move in here. We design comfortable, handicap-accessible, human-scale apartments, where family members are happy to visit, because the environment provides an attractive opportunity for families to meet. In Europe, there is a tendency for people who have reached retirement age to move from the west to the eastern regions. For them, Hungary is an excellent destination with its low prices and wonderful environment. Unfortunately, people moving away can often feel isolated. The Liget Park Project is also trying to change this. As the population of Jánoshida could also benefit from the advantages brought by future residents, so the inhabitants of the settlement regard the elderly arriving to us as an asset. Instead of isolated, crowded, reserved nursing homes, we have developed an open, livable concept based on community values. People living here can actively spend their days as appreciated members of a community, so the number of their precious years of life is expected to increase. The resulting housing model will put less strain on the social care system, as care for the elderly will only be required as a last resort. A third innovative approach is that we plan a separate residential unit in the main building so that adults in need of care can spend shorter periods in Liget Park, under the supervision of professionals, so the family members caring them can also be freed from the burden of care for 1-2 weeks.
Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can. In the words of Arthur Ashe, our municipality also started from the approach of planning the project to use the resources that are currently available. In Jánoshida these are: active civilian population, large number of retired citizens, and untapped natural resources. We see our elderly as partners and elderly care as an opportunity. We would like to make the settlement elderly-friendly and attractive for those who want to settle here, even from abroad. We have focused a lot of resources on helping our retired residents to maintain their mental and physical performance for as many years as possible. The care and housing crisis that Europe is currently experiencing cannot be solved by focusing on just one area. Our approach is holistic: we are simultaneously looking for answers to questions concerning older people, the emigration of young people, and we want to provide an environmentally sustainable living space. We plan for the long term, and we try to transmit these values to young residents as well. We believe in assessing needs, thinking together, and we are happy to visit and analyze similar concepts that have already been implemented. We are happy to share our achievements and difficulties with others.
In the first five years of the project, the goal was to consolidate the social base, which we successfully achieved. The next five years will be devoted to the physical construction of buildings. Planning and construction will also operate on the basis of the above holistic, democratic principles.
In the first five years of the project, the goal was to consolidate the social base, which we successfully achieved. The next five years will be devoted to the physical construction of buildings. Planning and construction will also operate on the basis of the above holistic, democratic principles.
The existing problems that the Liget Park Project reflects on are not new, there is currently no complex national solution strategy for them, and unfortunately many other municipalities are facing a similar situation. We are happy to take our holistic approach to other municipalities, and we often organize Conscious Ageing network meetings. We believe that the flow of information and the sharing of good practices are essential for other municipalities to adapt our approach focusing on their own problems. We also carry out active awareness-raising and educational activities in the field of elderly care. Our monthly Alzheimer café events have already been introduced in another cities, and we also plan to implement conscious aging ambassador trainings among our elderly care professionals. The concept of community cohousing can also be transferred anywhere, we are also happy to get information about already established communities, their difficulties and opportunities.
The Liget Park Project focuses on the social pillar. At the local level, we aim to address the following globally recognized challenges to the best of our ability: loneliness among the elderly, care crisis, housing crisis affecting the elderly, obsolete, crowded nursing homes, low attractiveness of the social sector, indecent wages, and working conditions in the social sector. Migration of young people from small settlements.
We also want to reduce the exploitation of the natural environment, excessive use of energy, degradation of soils.
Through transparent and open communication and the involvement of residents, and citizens, we help to achieve the exercise of their democratic rights and strengthen self-determination. We want to enhance the population's lifelong learning ability, intergenerational cooperation and knowledge transfer. With the construction of the Liget Park buildings, we intend to use renewable energy and introduce the foundations of sustainable architecture in the region.
We also want to reduce the exploitation of the natural environment, excessive use of energy, degradation of soils.
Through transparent and open communication and the involvement of residents, and citizens, we help to achieve the exercise of their democratic rights and strengthen self-determination. We want to enhance the population's lifelong learning ability, intergenerational cooperation and knowledge transfer. With the construction of the Liget Park buildings, we intend to use renewable energy and introduce the foundations of sustainable architecture in the region.
This year, we will apply for further infrastructure development and road construction to improve accessibility to the area. A local energy plan will be developed this year under the leadership of Habitat for Humanity. We are continuously organizing community-building events to engage the local population and actively involve them in the process. Additionally, we arrange study trips abroad to learn from European best practices and integrate them into our initiative. A key priority is to engage local young people in the planning process sparking their interest in the implementation of the concept. Furthermore, we are in the process of certifying the Conscious Ageing Programme, in order to provide a platform for CSR activities of companies and to attract additional support from them.
