Re: Common function areas in neighborhoods? | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Kathryn McCamant (kmccamantCOHOUSING-SOLUTIONS.COM) | |
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2015 10:47:38 -0700 (PDT) |
There are some very interesting examples written about by Dolores Hayden in one of her earlier books (Redesigning the American Dream, The Grand Domestic Revolution and numerous other books) that describes a number of ³dining clubs² created in the late 1800s thru the early 1900s when women were working to get the vote and found they needed to find a way to free up some of the time to work for the vote and hired help was getting to expensive for middle class families. So they organized dining clubs in their neighborhoods where they would either purchase a home specifically for that purpose (their common house) or a family would offer their back room or such for the shared dining room. There were actually quite a few of these that lasted quite a while. I agree with what others have said about having a neutral space that is owned emotionally (if not also financially) by all of us where people can come and go thru time make a common house uniqueŠ.but you could create that in an existing neighborhood by converting a garage or basement or other under utilized space. Hayden¹s books are really interesting and I highly recommend reading them. Her Redesigning the American Dream came out in the early 80¹s when we were researching and writing our first cohousing book, and I underlined much of the book. Katie -- Kathryn McCamant, President CoHousing Solutions 241B Commercial Street Nevada City, CA 95959 T.530.478.1970 C.916.798.4755 www.cohousing-solutions.com On 8/28/15, 9:43 AM, "Cohousing-L on behalf of Richart Keller" <cohousing-l-bounces+kmccamant=cohousing-solutions.com [at] cohousing.org on behalf of richart.keller [at] gmail.com> wrote: > >Just a thought... > >One of the most important aspects of cohousing is the Common House. It is >a key facility which differentiates cohousing from other types of housing, >neighborhoods, and communities. By providing facilities in which >residents >interact in various ways--including the mailroom, the kitchen/dining >area, >meeting rooms, laundry room, playroom for kids, etc. etc.--it is an >important vehicle for building and sustaining social capital within the >community. > >Are there ways in which such facilities could be provided within existing >or new neighborhoods or housing developments? > >Perhaps this would expand opportunities for building community and provide >an alternative to forming groups who are not able to gather enough folks >to >create a full-blown cohousing community. > >Such facilities could also strengthen the sense of community in some >cooperative housing and other non-cohousing neighborhoods. They might >also >provide a way to strengthen affordable housing developments... > >Rick > > > > >Rick Keller >Pioneer Valley Cohousing >Amherst MA >_________________________________________________________________ >Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at: >http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/ > >
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Common function areas in neighborhoods? Richart Keller, August 28 2015
- Re: Common function areas in neighborhoods? Sharon Villines, August 28 2015
- Re: Common function areas in neighborhoods? Kathryn McCamant, August 28 2015
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Re: Common function areas in neighborhoods? John Sechrest, August 29 2015
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Re: Common function areas in neighborhoods? R Philip Dowds, August 30 2015
- Re: Common function areas in neighborhoods? Alice Alexander, August 30 2015
- Re: Common function areas in neighborhoods? Sharon Villines, August 30 2015
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Re: Common function areas in neighborhoods? R Philip Dowds, August 30 2015
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