Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: guest post on privacy in cohousing?

[R Philip Dowds (rpdowds]

Community versus privacy is one of the polarities.  Another is, In or out of 
the sun — which varies by season, time of day, and exposure; the “back” porch 
is always good for privacy, but maybe not always optimum for sun.

I think the general issue for all cohousing is, Where can you find privacy 
outdoors?  If back porches don’t get the job done for everyone, all the time, 
then maybe site design can add to the solution in some way.

Thanks,
Philip Dowds
Cornerstone Village Cohousing
Cambridge, MA

> On Oct 8, 2015, at 11:26 AM, Beverly Jones Redekop <beverly.jones.redekop 
> [at] gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> During our marketing and building stage, I volunteered with tours. We built
> traditional coho units with front and back porches, and people loved
> hearing about the purpose of having two porches each. I don't know if the
> idea was from Katie and Chuck’s book or from Chuck’s slideshow,  but I
> repeated it on every tour: Our community is about balance. Many
> garage-oriented neighbourhoods today have too much privacy and some of the
> sixties experiments had too much connection. It turns out that people need
> both connection and privacy. If you're reading a book outside on a sunny
> day, your porch choice serves as communication to your neighbours. Reading
> on your back porch means you're enjoying the same solitude as if you had
> your own acreage somewhere. You're not in a snit; you're just enjoying
> quiet and your own company, so no one will interrupt you by talking to
> you.  Now, your front porch is a different story! You have announced that
> you are fair game! You would love to be asked all kinds of questions : What
> are you reading? Would you like to come pick carrots? What tree should we
> plant? Would you like some tea? Etc...!
> 
> Front porches are for connection and back porches and yards are for
> solitude. We have 2.5 acres around the homes and 20 acres of farmland to
> share, so it's fine to fence your little 20' deep backyard for privacy.
> Maybe it's for pets, maybe it's for toddlers (following/chasing is often
> fun but sometimes exhausting), maybe it's to be able to pick strawberries
> in your pyjamas before you've brushed your teeth in the morning. In both
> the regular world and cohousing, when you invite friends to your house for
> a party, everyone understands that you are offering access to your living
> room and kitchen, but not to your bedroom. Reserving some privacy is
> healthy. You can love cohousing connection while also nurturing your energy
> with a quiet and beautiful outdoor retreat.
> 
> We are in Yarrow, BC, which is an hour east of Vancouver.
> www.groundswellcohousing.ca (one pending sale plus one left for sale!)