Re: COHOUSING-L digest 449
From: Barb Andre (mbawebaccess.net)
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 1998 17:02:47 -0600
Rod Lambert wrote:
> 
<snip>
 >  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?
<snip> 

I live in a unit which does not look directly onto our central green and
common house. If I could start over, I would choose of one our units
directly on the green, because I like to see where and how my children
are playing, without leaning out the window or walking around the house
to find them. Also, I like to see when some of the natural gatherings of
neighbors are taking place in warmer weather. It bothers me not to be
able to see directly into our central area. (But not enough to move out
of cohousing!) However, I'm not sure that every resident here feels the
same way. My personal belief is that every unit should have direct
visual connection with the center green, but I am very much aware that
this could be impossible in many sites!

Our central green includes a play structure for younger children; a
sidewalk that serves well for some bike riding and roller
skating/blading by the younger crowd; a large lawn that hosts the calmer
ball games, frisbee throwing, racing, other large-motor activities that
don't endanger the nearby windows and toddlers, picnics, igloo-building,
tents overnight. What we do *not* have in our inner green includes the
chicken coop, the vegetable garden, full-blown ball games (soccer,
football, baseball), the basketball hoop, roller blading by the fast
crowd. However, we do have large open spaces that *can* support those
activities.

As for porches, yes, they make a big difference for me. I don't know if
they are *that* necessary for "communing," but they are definitely the
place to be eating dinner on a warm summer evening, and it's very easy
to call your neighbors over to join you in the meal (which we have done
a few times). We also take our home meals to the common house porch
occasionally to eat in the sun on cooler days. (Our porch is shaded in
the afternoon.)

We were very lucky to be able to purchase a large site for our
community. Our 30 units are on 6 acres of land, and we have more land
which was not built on. Not every group will be able to find or afford
such a large piece of land.

Barb Andre
Greyrock Commons
Fort Collins, CO

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