Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: CMHC Study ( Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp) [FWD]

[Fred H Olson WB0YQM (fholson]

TOMP [at] TVO.ORG Tom Ponessa is the author of this message but due
to a listserv problem it was posted by the COHOUSING-L sysop (Fred).
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With regard to an earlier posting "Cohousing in Canada", Jeffery Hobson
writes:

"The CMHC report you mentioned sounded interesting.  Do you have a summary
of the conclusions of the CMHC report with regard to encouraging "user
participant design" and *why* that will advance sustainability?  It makes
some sense intuitively, but I can also imagine someone persuasively arguing
the opposite, so I'd like to know if CMHC folks have good evidence.  I'd
like to know whether the report is basically someone arguing why user
participant design *should* encourage sustainability, or whether the report
shows, via existing projects and comparative data, that participant design
on average actually *does* encourage sustainability as compared to
"conventional" design.  If it is the latter, the report is probably
something people on this list would be able to use to obtain grant
funding."

Jeffrey Hobson
johobson [at] wheel.ucdavis.edu
N Street Cohousing, Davis Energy Group

The purpose of the report (Assessment of Built Projects for Sustainability,
David van Vliet and William T, Perks, CMHC, September 1993) is based on
four years of investigation and research of existing projects in
Scandinavia.  These projects were, in most cases, built as demonstrations
of alternative building practices and technologies. Part of the reason they
wrote this report, it seems, is to convince the powers that be to be more
supportive of such demonstrations.  They cite the willingness of Federal
and local agencies to work with the private sector to develop new methods
of development, and make the point that this requires a particular mind set
on the part of local planners. But primarily, they conclude and demonstrate
that user-participant development and design is crucial to the success of
any project aimed at sustainability, and offer a comprehensive checklist of
criteria, guidelines and possibilities for any group, agency or individual
pursuing such a project.

Here is their abstract, in full (spelling mistakes are mine, emphasis is
theirs):

Research carried out for this study establishes an extensive knowledge base
on progress towards sustainable development being made in Scandinavian
urban contexts. Over 30 porjects were visited and researched.  Interviews
with experts and community residents were carried out.

Five (5) of the projects were selected for detailed case studies.  These
are presented with planning-design data, graphic illustration, and a
descriptive-analytical account of each project.

The Scandinavian projects were developed with the intention of
experimentation and demonstration.  They were initiated by either
houseseeker groups, municipal administrations, private builders, or these
in partnerships.  They were planned around some novel arrangement or other
in community organization, and with strong user- participation design.
Environmental stewardship roles were also staked out.

A set of over 50 sustainability applications are derived from this
investigation.  Public policy initiatives and the local community context
for sustainability advances are discussed.  The discussion addresses new
orientations towards sustainability in municipal administration, and in
industry orientations to consumers and marketing strategies.

The Scandinavian projectss show that small groups of houseseekers and
neighbourhood communities _can_ "act locally" on the global environmental
crisis. User-participant design of the neighbourhood and housing are key
factors.

The study points to the need for a more integrative approach in municipal
practices and administrative procedures in Canada if sustainability
principles are to be meaningfully incorporated into urban planning and
development.

In a second objective, the study examines the potential for transferability
to the Canadian context of the Scandiavian experiences.  Experts drawn from
the Calgary housing and residential delivery system were consulted.
Questionnaire surveys and a workshop-focus meeting were employed to obtain
the experts' opinions, and to test their receptivity to proposals for
change and innovation.

The study concludes with the presentation of a Concept scheme and
partnership proposal for building a demonstration project in Calgary.  The
proposal draws on a nine-point set of performance goals for sustainable
community planning and design.  The implementation process involves
houseseeker groups who interact continuously with builders and municipal
agencies as user-participants in the design of their community
environments.

The proposal stakes out a new positioning for industry in meeting the
challenges of housing choice and sustainable development.  For the
municipality, the proposal implies an eventual restructuring of how the
planning and development process might work in the future.

* * * Report available from CMHC -
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.,Ottawa, (613) 748-2000