Re: cars
From: Carol Robinson (carolrslvyahoo.com)
Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 11:06:56 -0700 (PDT)
Tim,
  You have raised some interesting concerns.
   
  In our community, the parking/streets are around the outside of our
  homes, with the pedestrian walkway in the center. The kids can go
  and play without traffic and the cars are still nearby.
   
  We did not "ban" garages. Out of 33 homes, there are 2 homes with
  garages and 7 homes with their parking pads for 2 cars each on their
  property. The remainder of the homes have parking "nearby" and do
  use a cart to get groceries and other stuff to their homes from their 
  cars. We do not have any covered parking and I think no one really asked
  for it in this community. So, we have a mix of options for folks about
  their cars.
   
  That said, this didn't seem to be a big issue when we were planning the
  community and does seem to be generating more conversation now that
  we are completed. 
   
  About your other issue of "studio" space, again, we have come up with
  ideas to accommodate both community needs and individual needs. Several
  folks have "offices" in their homes.  We also
  have "office" space in our common house that houses a computer and some
  other office equipment that folks in the community have donated.
  We haven't yet planned the unfinished space in our basement, and are 
  considering uses for crafts and other projects.
   
  Thanks for inviting this conversation!!
   
  Carol Robinson
  Shadowlake Village Cohousing
  Blacksburg, VA
  http://www.shadowlakevillage.org/
  

Tim Clark <gsadix [at] earthlink.net> wrote:
  Cars and how they are treated has been an issue with me for years. In fact
it has kept me out of cohousing until now. (we are having 8 attached
garages).



It isn't the car that is the problem it is the attitude and architecture
about cars that is the problem. If all you can see is garage fronts when you
look down the street of course it is a problem, but there are other ways to
deal with cars then to punish them.



Do you really want to see your brand new Prius out in the sun getting baked
and cracked or how about a little acid rain for the car's finish?



How about the extra water needed to keep an outdoor car clean?



Do you enjoy lugging wagons full of stuff from the parking lot to your unit?



For those aging in place or in a wheel chair is it easy to get to your unit,
in the rain?



Is perimeter parking another form of forced intimacy?



How about the other functions of a garage other than storing a car, like
extra storage, messy work space, play space on a rainy day when you want the
kids to stay close to the house.



I personally wanted a studio (garage). I want to be able to get up at
anytime and go to my studio, without driving cross town to get to it. If I
have an idea in the middle of the night I want to be able to go to work. I
want to work in my underwear if that is what is happening (door closed of
course). 



And if you say, "what about the common house craft space", ask any artist
how they feel about working with other people or having to clean up after
themselves when they are done.



Has cohousing developed a knee jerk reaction to cars and how not to
accommodate them?



Tim

Kaleidoscope Village


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