Cohousing-L Mailing List: Site design - is a 'street' necessary?

[RodLambert (RodLambert]

I'm new to the list, hope this subject isn't redundant.
We are beginning the design of a second neighborhood here at Ecovillage at
Ithaca and a question has come up for me which I would like feedback on from
other people living in cohousing. How important is a sense of a street outside
the door? Is a sense of enclosure important? If the house "across the way' is
60 feet - 150 feet is there a difference? What activities should be brought
into this 'interior' space - playgrounds, gardens, etc - what things
shouldn't? Is it important to be able to glance out a window and see what's
going on in most of your neighborhood? - at the commonhouse? - at the
basketball hoop? or is having a home off the beaten path more important to
many? Do porches make a big difference? - do people find them central to their
communing with their neighbors? If you could change the way your neighborhood
is layed out what would you change and why?
We are attempting to arrange about 30 units on about a 3.5 acre 'footprint' .
I hope this thread will be helpful to many forming groups. 

Rod Lambert  
Development Management
Second Neighborhood Group
Ecovillage at Ithaca   NY