COMMUNITY & AGING-IN-PLACE

Design as a framework for belonging, dignity, and longevity

THRVE works with communities, organizations, and partners to support aging well, housing access, and community resilience through design-informed thinking.

Rooted in decades of residential interior design experience, this work scales thoughtfully — translating what supports people in their homes into environments, systems, and initiatives that support people over time and in place.

The focus is not abstract planning or idealized models, but how environments actually shape daily life, care, connection, and wellbeing as people age.

Our Approach

At THRVE, design is understood as more than buildings or interiors.
It is a framework for how people feel, move, belong, and remain connected to community as their needs change.

Our approach integrates:

• Biophilic and regenerative design principles

• Universal design and accessibility thinking

• Nervous-system and wellbeing awareness

• Lived experience of aging, caregiving, and transition

This allows us to work across individual homes, shared spaces, and community contexts with continuity and care.

Areas of Focus

THRVE’s community and aging-in-place work may include:

Senior Housing & Lifestyle Community Development
Design guidance and conceptual support for senior and intergenerational housing initiatives that prioritise livability, dignity, and long-term wellbeing.

Advisory & Committee-Based Work
Participation in advisory committees, working groups, and boards related to housing, aging, climate, and quality of life — offering a design-informed, human-centred perspective.

Community Engagement & Visioning
Facilitating or supporting engagement processes that help communities articulate shared values, needs, and aspirations related to housing, aging, and belonging.

Built-Environment Strategies for Care & Inclusion
Applying design thinking to policies, programs, and physical environments to support accessibility, connection, and ease of use across the lifespan.

This work is always grounded in real conditions — regulatory, financial, social, and environmental — rather than theoretical ideals.

How We Work

THRVE collaborates with municipalities, nonprofits, developers, and community organizations in ways that are thoughtful, flexible, and context-specific.

Engagements may take the form of:

• Advisory roles or retained consulting

• Design-informed strategy and guidance

• Program or initiative development support

• Community-based research and synthesis

• Speaking, workshops, or facilitated conversations

We work best where there is a shared commitment to care, inclusion, and long-term thinking — and where design is recognised as a contributor to wellbeing, not just appearance.

Why THRVE

This work grows directly out of residential design practice.

For decades, THRVE’s founder, Andrea Leja, has worked closely with people in their homes — witnessing how environments affect energy, health, caregiving dynamics, and independence over time.

Those insights now inform work at a broader scale, without losing the intimacy and attentiveness that residential design demands.

The perspective is grounded, not abstract.
Human, not institutional.
Practical, not performative.

Who This Work Is For

This work is well suited to:

• Municipalities and regional governments

• Nonprofit and community organizations

• Housing and aging-focused initiatives

• Advisory committees and task forces

• Funders and partners supporting aging-in-place, housing access, and community wellbeing

If your work involves supporting people to live well as they age — in homes, neighbourhoods, and communities — THRVE offers a design-informed lens rooted in lived experience.

A Closing Note

Aging in place is not only about remaining in a home.
It is about remaining connected, supported, and dignified within a community.

THRVE approaches this work with care for people, place, and time — recognising that environments shape not only how we live, but how we belong.

Research & Selected Contributions

Andrea Leja is a contributing expert to the Global Wellness Institute’s Aging Well Initiative, a global research effort examining how societies can better support wellbeing, dignity, and functional ability as populations age.

Her contribution explores the role of the built environment, housing, and community integration in shaping how people age — emphasizing prevention, connection, and design as essential components of aging well.

AGING WELL INTITATIVE

Lifestyle Concierge as Applied Support

In select contexts, THRVE’s community and aging-in-place work is supported through THRVE Lifestyle Concierge (TLC) — an applied, person-centred service model designed to help individuals and households live well within the environments and systems around them.

TLC supports continuity between design, care, and daily life, particularly for older adults, caregivers, and those navigating health or life transitions. Services may include coordination, home-based support, and practical guidance that helps people remain safely, comfortably, and connected in place.

Lifestyle Concierge services are offered selectively and in alignment with broader community, housing, or care initiatives — as an extension of THRVE’s design-led approach, not a standalone program.

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