Cohousing-L Mailing List: New Urbanism

[Graham Meltzer (g.meltzer]

There was a recent call for a recommended reading about 'traditional
neighbourhoods'. Sorry about the delay but my computer blew its network card
a few days ago ... I imagine it couldn't handle the heat of the Xmas tree
debate.

Trad. neighbourhoods is also known as New Urbanism. There is a fast
gathering literature on NU of which I have bibliographic details if anyone
wants ... but as a good, literary, introduction to the subject and its
genesis, I don't think you can do better than read 'The Geography of
Nowhere' by James Kunstler, Simon & Schuster, 1992 (I think).

It has been recomended on this list before as being an implicit argument for
cohousing, so as Russell Sykes suggests ...

>I am of the mind that co-housing, though wonderful for a 
>small slice of the populace who will ever so assiduously 
>direct their lives, will remain a rather small piece of 
>human habitat.  However, the "traditional neighborhood" 
>concept offers a method to rebuild the interpersonal links 
>and public spirit you spoke of for the vast majority of 
>people who simply buy what's offered in suburbs by developers.

... there is probably a link of intention between cohousing and NU.

Cheers
Graham Meltzer