Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Chicago cohousing

[Fred H Olson WB0YQM (fholson]

Craig A. Cunningham UCCUNNIN [at] UXA.ECN.BGU.EDU 
is the author of the message below but due
to a listserv problem it was posted by the COHOUSING-L sysop (Fred).
****************  FORWARDED MESSAGE FOLLOWS *********************


The "Woodlawn group" is moving forward with our plans. I
recently joined with a "core group" of about 18 people who 
are discussing the process of putting together a cohousing 
group at 63rd and Woodlawn, in Chicago.  Levy Rivers 
(waldo [at] ais.net) is also participating, but as a consultant. 
 I'm not sure if Levy is interested in living in the
cohousing or not. (Levy?)

The group's plans currently include taking about 1/2 block
of dilapidated buildings and empty lots and creating a 23 
-30 unti mixed income, mixed race, mixed generation 
cohousing development.  Plans are VERY sketchy at the 
moment, although a boarded up building has been purchased, 
and a video is being put together to recruit potential
members and financing.  There are also talks with the 
people who control several vacant lots near the boarded up 
building.

A prelminary idea sketch has been drawn, which suggests 
building a number of townhomes of various sizes with a 
central grassy area, a common "apartment" in the big 
building, and connections to another mixed-income housing
development on the same block.

BTW, 63rd and Woodlawn is in an area of Chicago that was
pretty much burned down in the late 1960s and 1970s.  But 
the University of Chicago has spurred development of the 
area. Although the Woodlawn group has no specific ties to 
the U of C, it may benefit from a general change in the 
neighborhood, although one of the problems with the U of C
approach (which pioneered "urban development" in the late 
1950s and 1960s) is that it pushes out all the "locals" and 
replaces them with yuppies and university types. The
cohousing group wants to fight this trend by remaining 
mixed income.

I have met with the core group once, and we are planning 
another meeting for Friday the 8th of February.  Our next
meeting is a 'discuss the vision' meeting.  Let me know if 
anyone is interested in more information.

-Craig
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Craig A. Cunningham                                      C-Cunningham2 [at] 
neiu.edu
  Asst. Professor, Educational Foundations, Northeastern Illinois University
                 http://www.ecnet.net/users/uccunnin/index.html