Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Urban/affordable cohousing slide show

[David L. Mandel (75407.2361]

Greetings: I first put this out on the forum about six weeks ago and have had 
about six takers, all of whom have sounded pretty satisfied. I'm repeating it 
now, for the benefit of new subscribers or others who might have missed it. 
There is also a lull in orders now, and both copies, I'm told, are on their 
way back to Sacramento....

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Hello, everyone. This is a not-very-commercial offer of the slide show I put 
together for the Boulder conference last October (shown very quickly at the 
end of the opening evening there) on Southside Park Cohousing in Sacramento.

        It has since been refined (I first assembled it on the plane to 
Denver) and now comes with a nine-page narrative that describes each slide -- 
some briefly, some at greater length when they illustrate an issue of 
particular interest to cohousing in an existing urban-core, very low-income 
neighborhood. We are 25 units on 1.3 acres, walking distance from the state 
Capitol and central business district ... enabling many of us to walk or bike 
to work and other destinations.
        Among the focii of the show are scenes of the neighborhood around us; 
how we tried to blend into the surrounding community architecturally, 
balancing internal cohesiveness with a sense of openness to our neighbors; how
we deal with security issues; how we optimized the space we have on the site; 
how we deal with an alley running through the middle of the project. It also 
includes shots of insides of houses and the common house, and ends with some 
fun, upbeat photos of life in cohousing in general. 
        The narrative also includes a brief description of how we worked with 
the city housing agency to include low-income people among our members. (Lots 
more information on that available independently of the slide show for anyone 
who's interested.)
        The slide show could be presented in as little as 15 minutes or as 
much as an hour, depending on how you want to use it. I'd recommend it 
especially for groups that are considering or planning to develop cohousing in
an urban setting. Borrowers are also welcome to make their own copies of some 
of the slides if they wish.
        This is not meant to be a money-making project, but it was fairly 
costly to make and copy all the slides, so if you'd like to borrow the show, I
ask you to cover postage and add a donation of $10 to $30, depending on your 
group's ability to pay. If we somehow cover all costs, then any excess will go
to our group's fund for helping members attend future cohousing conferences or
similar purposes.
        There are currently only two copies of the show, so the more you can 
plan in advance, the better your chances of getting it when you want. E-mail 
inquiries are welcome, but we can probably make arrangements most efficiently 
by direct telephone. Mine is (916) 446-5066, or 325-4913 at work. This is 
Sacramento, so we're on Pacific time, please.
        Hoping to hear from some of you....
        David Mandel, Southside Park Cohousing