Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Re: More on LDM

[Harry Pasternak (Harry_Pasternak]

"What helps create community"?

There is 38 years of research, done across the western world, that shows that
there are specific elements that contributes heavily in shaping the ease at
which community does happen; it has very little to do with how the houses
"look"--it is irrelevant as whether the houses are all the same design, or
all different.

What is important? What are these elements?:
* Good neighborhood design. 
* Appropriate design elements in the home that relate to neighborhood design.

Here is how it works.
The designers have to understand how the communication process happens in a
neighborhood (anywhere in the western world). 

THE SECRET
* There are three zones: PUBLIC-sidewalks, walkways, roadways, 
                                        PRIVATE-home's interior and backyard,

                                        SEMI-PRIVATE- front "lawn", front
porch.
* The "EDGE" is the line between the Private interior and the Semi-private
zone, the porch. There must be windows (IN THE EDGE) low enough for kids as
well as adults to see the public zones from inside the private space (no
garages plastered onto the front of the house PLEASE!-blocks the view of the
public space).
* Here is the "waltz of community building":
      1. Someone wants to "be" with other people.
      2. That person goes to the window to see who is out there "presenting"
         themselves in the public or semi-private zones.
      3. If the person looking out from the private zone is interested in the
persons
          out in the semi-private or public zones, then this person will go
to the door
          of the front porch and "present" themselves (at the edge-its safe
there)
      4. If the person at the door "connects" visually or verbally with the
          person(s) in the public space--there will then start small talk.
       5. The inside person will then move onto the porch-the public person
now
         moves to the edge of the front lawn (semi-private) talk continues.
       6. At this point the interaction could end or the two people continue
on the
           semi-private zone (grass or front porch), or onto the public zone
or move
          inside to the privat zone.
       *** gardening, snow shovelling, planting trees, raking leaves, in the
front
          lawn are all just  opportunities for people to "present"
themselves.


Harry Pasternak
Thousand Islands Institute
The Independent Centre For Housing Research & Education
(Harry_Pasternak [at] tvo.org)