Re: FAQs for New Members
From: joanne baek (joannebaekyahoo.com)
Date: Wed, 28 May 2008 07:02:07 -0700 (PDT)
I appreciated the link to these FAQs, but I do disagree with some of them, at 
least if one extracts these FAQs about this particualr development and 
applys it to cohousing as a whole.  I think cohousing is inherently 
an ownership model, upon which one designs and builds and hopes to acheive 
community.  Any implication that it could NOT be used to design lowcost 
housing and even subsidized housing does our society, community, 
and future would-be low-end cohousing developers a great disservice.  
And I think that society, persons with limited funds, and cohousing generally 
have a great deal to gain by those who might create the alternative low-end 
versions of cohousing.
 
I believe the cohousing model was "imported" from Denmark.  And if I am 
not mistaken, its use there spreads much further across economic strata, 
excluding few?  I've not looked into this for awhile, and others may be 
more aware of the history and practice there.  But to my thinking, there 
is nothing inherently elite-ist or exclusionary about cohousing except in 
practice; its only the standard approaches to how we house ourselves in 
this country, and how we do project development, that channels our creativity 
into the approaches that have limited access to mostly people with ample assets 
and/or income.
 
I am very low income, with very minimal savings.  I want to be one of 
those who helps bring about cohousing for those with minimal resources, and I'm 
hoping for others to join in.  But if the poor people are sent away by 
information that says, "Nope, not in cohousing," I won't be able to find others 
or work with them to develope the options.
 
And as I said, I think that would be a disservice to all.
 
Joanne
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For new members -- I just saw a list of FAQs about cohousing that I  
think is very good. It defines cohousing clearly both in terms of what  
it is and what it is not -- like a solution to the affordable housing  
crisis or subsidized housing. It's short, clear, and honest:

http://www.brooklyncohousing.org/faq.shtml

I obviously haven't seen everyone's list and theirs may be just as  
good. I just ran across this one.

Sharon



      

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