Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re Streets in Cohousing

[Mmariner (Mmariner]

Diane S. wrote:

<<Part of what I'm getting at is that part of my concern in the present
pattern of development is that there is no connection between neighborhoods.
 In
my area, the only place to walk is up and down your own tiny street, or out
onto
the main road.  Just as people are attracted to cohousing in part because
they
can do more as a group than they can as individuals (e.g.. organic gardening
in
the city, or preserving land from development in the fringe suburbs), I would
like any group I'm involved in to be interested in building "streets" which
link
to other streets from other neighborhoods so that kids and grownups have a
place
to go and not be harassed by trucks and cars.>>


In the book "A Pattern Language" Christopher Alexander (et al) wrote about
how each neighborhood should have it's natural and social boundaries and
identities that were marked by physical changes, blocked streets, etc.  I
also loved his idea of urban design where there were alternating "fingers of
green space and fingers of settlements to where everyone was near some
natural environment.

As typical neighborhoods become more cohesive, they'll hopefully create
wonderfully diverse environments that clearly mark territory and give people
a feeling of belonging and local pride.

Michael M
Nyland