Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Policy Library

[lcamundsen (lcamundsen]

Good idea! The architects would still be needed to adapt and advise. It 
might make everybody's job easier and in some cases more affordable compared 
to starting from scratch. I think we need not worry that professionals will 
be excluded from their essential function in designing and building our 
communities.Not all plans are transferrable.

Camilla Amundsen
Quayside Cohousing, North Vancouver BC

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Judith Bush" <jbush [at] together.net>
To: <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 1:42 PM
Subject: Re: [C-L]_ Policy Library


> It is nice to feel the excitement build on the listserve before a
> conference, even if you are not crossing the country to attend! The Policy
> Library thread puts me in mind of the Open Source "attitude" that seems to
> characterize the cohousing movement.  Putting things like by-laws and
> policies on our websites testifies to that.  Now someone is offering to be
> even more organized about it.  That's great.
> One question in my mind: could there be an open source attitude about 
> house
> blueprints?  Maybe there already is.  I'm struck when I look at community
> websites, homes for sale, etc. at how similar in many basic ways our
> buildings (units, common houses) are.  One of the things that drives up 
> the
> costs of building and therefore the cost of homes is professional fees.
> Spending a lot of time and energy in the design phase can be fun, but it 
> can
> also be exhausting and ultimately expensive.  We want a mix of low, 
> middle,
> and higher income people in our communities.  But we are often 
> unaffordable
> to younger families, people working intentionally in meaningful but
> low-paying jobs, etc.  Is sharing blueprints a piece of the solution?  (In
> writing this, I worry  that I will be offending the wonderful architects 
> who
> have essentially created a library of possibilities for cohousing.  That's
> not my intention.)
> Anyway, perhaps the whole topic of Open Source could be a focus at a 
> future
> cohousing gathering.
> Judith Bush, Cobb Hill, Hartland, VT
>
>
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