Re: marketing Aria Cohousing in Denver to families | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Alice Alexander (alicecohousgmail.com) | |
Date: Sat, 1 Oct 2016 05:20:03 -0700 (PDT) |
Beverly, given that most cohousing in this country is multi-generational, I can assure you that there is no anti-senior sentiment in cohousing. Our recent conference last May on Aging Better Together focused as much on senior-friendly intergenerational communities as senior-focused communities. I applaud your desire to live intergenerationally. I also applaud others who choose to live in adult-focused communities. Alice Alexander, Coho/US Executive Director On Fri, Sep 30, 2016 at 9:12 AM, Nancy Csuti <nancycsuti [at] gmail.com> wrote: > > Beverly, I am curious about the point number 5 below. I am almost a senior > (just turned 60) and really want to live in Cohousing and have been looking > for the past ten years - even since I was exposed to them visiting friends > & family in the Netherlands. I am in Denver so looked at Aria, but prefer > something with direct access to the outdoors (the townhouse style which > have been sold out), rather than the Stacked units which are what's > available now. BUT, the whole reason I have been looking for cohousing for > a decade now is the multi generational factor. I love kids and want to > interact with them regularly. The big reason I haven't retired yet nor plan > to is because I love being with millennials all day long. I want to live > surrounded by families with young children where I can be exposed to the > creative ideas children have. Your #5 seems to imply that seniors would > prefer to live among other seniors (which seems unnatural and really > unhealthy as well). I feel a bit concerned there is a bit of an anti-senior > sentiment in cohousing. I visited one in the Seattle area and heard that > sentiment expressed. What attracted me to cohousing in Holland was the > multigenerational aspect. it was one of the most positive things about it. > Sounds like you have had a pretty negative experience with seniors - maybe > complaining about children? I wonder if you could provide a bit of insight > into the experiences you've had. Suggesting to seniors they may want to > live among their own age is like suggesting a typical retirement community. > I'd find that insulting, as if somehow I didn't know what children are > like. But it does sound like you re speaking from experience. I'd love to > know more. I've accepted I may not find a cohousing in an urban area of the > USA that actually values the mixed age population, but I am still unsure > why. Any insights you could provide would be valuable to me. > Thanks, > Nancy > > On Thu, Sep 29, 2016 at 3:39 PM, Beverly Jones Redekop < > beverly.jones.redekop [at] gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > Some thoughts... > > > > 1. Keep it affordable (maybe -- some families are not affected by this > > need, some are). > > > > 2. When you find yourself leaning towards units with two big bedrooms, > > consider configuring the space for three smaller bedrooms instead. > > > > 3. AVOID STACKED FLATS AT ALL COSTS! Our ugliest conflicts have been > the > > result of larger units (1440 s.f. with three bedrooms) stacked above > > smaller units (1000 s.f. two bedrooms). Families live above > empty-nesters, > > and our side-to-side soundproofing works great, but the above & below > > doesn't work much at all. Noise leads to short tempers and nasty > > comments. It would have been so much better to have these units side by > > side as stacked personal homes (the 1000 s.f. as 500 down and 500 up; the > > 1440 as 720 down and 720 up). If you must have a few 1000 s.f. units all > > on one level for accessibility, put a unit that is severely skewed > towards > > child-free households above, such as a tiny studio or one bedroom...or > > common house storage or something. You will be tempted to stack units to > > save money, but it is the worst possible disaster you could ever inflict > > upon yourselves....and aren't personal interior staircases cheaper than > > public exterior staircases anyhow? > > > > 4. Share glimpses of positive intergenerational relationships via social > > media. (Even just posting your community dinner menu on Facebook gives a > > glimpse of a miracle to a busy parent who is tired of cooking dinner > every > > single day.) > > > > 5. Ask your seniors and empty-nesters why they want intergenerational > > cohousing. Remind them about mess and noise and non-intentional > neighbours > > (the parents choose to live in cohousing but the kids don't make a > > choice). Have them record their reasons for wanting intergenerational > > cohousing when it would be just as easy to build seniors cohousing. > Share > > this document on your website for families to see! > > > > 6. Parking on the perimeter is excellent, but include private gear > garages > > at each home so that people's "stuff" (bikes, kayaks, scooters, > strollers, > > carriages, garden tools, etc...) doesn't get strewn about. Strollers are > > expensive and they get ruined when left outside on a porch. > > > > On Thu, 29 Sep 2016 at 05:33 Alice Alexander <alicecohous [at] gmail.com> > > wrote: > > > > > > > > Susan, good for you to be joining Aria Cohousing! Attracting families > > was a > > > focus of one of the sessions at the Aging Better Together conference > > (which > > > I believe you attended), led by Katie McCamant, which, to cut to the > > chase, > > > advised that in all your marketing and communications, keep families in > > > mind. This includes providing child care so parents can come to > meetings, > > > having events that cater to kids, marketing with pictures of families, > > > being present like tabling at community events that would attract > > families. > > > > > > The Cohousing Association in our 2017 strategic plan is creating a new > > > initiative "Young Families in Cohousing" which will focus on > encouraging > > > families to live in cohousing, and also supporting intergenerational > > > communities in attracting families. So your query is right on schedule > > and > > > I hope we can both learn from successful practices that may be posted > > here! > > > Alice Alexander, Coho/US Executive Director > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Thu, Sep 29, 2016 at 12:45 AM, Susan <susan.mx [at] gmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > After reading this list serve for years and dreaming of living in a > > > > cohousing community for even longer, I will be moving from Oakland to > > > > Denver in the late spring to join Aria Cohousing. I am looking for > > > > suggestions for reaching out now to families with young children so > > that > > > we > > > > can be the multi-generational community we want to be. Any > suggestions > > > > specifically for the Denver area or generally for networking with > > > families > > > > would be greatly appreciated. > > > > Thanks, > > > > Susan Green > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > > > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at: > > > > http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > Alice Alexander > > > Executive Director > > > http://www.cohousing.org > > > [image: The Cohousing Association] > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at: > > > http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/ > > > > > > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at: > > http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/ > > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at: > http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/ > > > -- Alice Alexander Executive Director http://www.cohousing.org [image: The Cohousing Association]
- Re: marketing Aria Cohousing in Denver to families, (continued)
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Re: marketing Aria Cohousing in Denver to families Beverly Jones Redekop, September 29 2016
- Re: marketing Aria Cohousing in Denver to families Nancy Csuti, September 30 2016
- Re: marketing Aria Cohousing in Denver to families R Philip Dowds, October 1 2016
- Re: marketing Aria Cohousing in Denver to families Sharon Villines, October 1 2016
- Re: marketing Aria Cohousing in Denver to families Alice Alexander, October 1 2016
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Re: marketing Aria Cohousing in Denver to families Beverly Jones Redekop, September 29 2016
- What is intergenerational living? Sharon Villines, September 30 2016
- Re: What is intergenerational living? Sharon Villines, October 2 2016
- Re: marketing Aria Cohousing in Denver to families R Philip Dowds, October 1 2016
- Re: marketing Aria Cohousing in Denver to families Beverly Jones Redekop, October 1 2016
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