Cohousing-L Mailing List: March Cohousing Conference in Vermont

[Sheila Braun (akaEmma]

We would be delighted to welcome anyone who wants to join us for Sheldon
Bogos's presentation at our March conference, whether you're interested in
our neighborhood, cohousing in general, or just want to know what
alternatives exist to the "business as usual" style of development.

If you would like to attend and need a place to stay, please call me at
(802) 660-9466 to make arrangements.

Here is the text of a press release we sent to the Burlington Free Press.
Some of you may recognize bits of rhetoric from Hundredfold Farm--that would
be on account of Sheldon's influence, and I hope no one is put out by the
similarities. My apologies if anyone is.

ChiCoCo
CHITTENDEN COUNTY COHOUSING OF VERMONT
14 Moss Glen Lane
South Burlington, VT 05403-7274
March 4, 2000

Chittenden County Cohousing of Vermont (ChiCoCo) announces a seminar
entitled "Community Empowered Development," on Saturday, March 25th, from 1
to 5 pm, at the Best Western Hotel in South Burlington, presented by Sheldon
Bogos. Mr. Bogos is a specialist in Planned Living Communities for Heartbeat
Cities Corporation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The seminar is free and the
whole family is welcome; childcare is available in a playroom across the
hall from the meeting room and at the Best Western's pool while parents
attend the seminar. Mr. Bogos will be discussing a new approach to housing
ourselves in which residents plan their own community around values of
preserving open space, renewing and caring for the land, providing a safe
haven for children to grow and flourish, building and living sustainably,
and promoting diversity among community households.

Seminar attendees can expect to find out what this new form of housing
consists of, what it is like to live in such a neighborhood (there are
hundreds already built or being built in the United States right now), what
are the benefits and challenges of this kind of community living, how such a
community can be developed, what the typical costs are, and how they can get
involved.

Community Empowered Development is an approach to housing that attempts to
overcome the alienation of modern subdivisions in which no one knows their
neighbors and there is no sense of community. It is characterized by
villages of private dwellings with their own kitchens, living-dining rooms,
bedrooms, etc., all of which is supplemented by extensive common facilities.
The common building may include a large dining room, kitchen, lounges,
meeting rooms, recreation facilities, library, guest rooms, workshops, and
childcare. These villages are designed and managed by the residents, who are
consciously committed to living as a community; the physical design itself
encourages that and facilitates social contact. The typical village  has 20
to 30 single family homes along a pedestrian street or clustered around a
village green. Residents often have several optional group meals in the
common building each week. Community Empowered Development offers advantages
to families, singles, and senior citizens, and creates unique opportunities
for intergenerational sharing.

"It's a group of people who want to have a say about their community, who
want to be involved, who like the safety and security of knowing their
neighbors,"  says John Cresto, CEO of Heartbeat Cities. "It's the heart of
community."

"It's the wave of the future," says Sheila Braun of South Burlington,
ChiCoCo founding member. "NPR, the New York Times, the Washington Post, NBC,
CNN, Good Morning America--all continue to feature positive stories about
this kind of development as an increasingly popular alternative to
neighborhood design in America. Soon towns and cities all over the country
will be demanding this kind of development for their residents."

ChiCoCo is a group of families who have sadly watched the farmland and the
rural character of Chittenden County be lost to the ever-growing housing
market. Fields where cows grazed or corn grew and orchards where apples
ripened continue to be converted to barren sprawl. Is this the price we have
to pay for a decent place to live? Maybe not. Chicoco members strongly
believe that communities can save agricultural land as well as the rural
character of Chittenden County, and still meet the housing needs of local
families. The group is preparing to buy land in order to demonstrate this.
They are looking for enough land to create an organic fruit and vegetable
farm (100 or more acres). Their intention is to create a small subdivision
on the property (15 to 25 homes on just a few acres). Houses in the
community will be small and clustered close together around a "village
green." By clustering homes, they hope to be able to share common
facilities, which will reduce the required amount of space for each
individual home. They hope thereby to preserve more of Chittenden County's
beautiful and precious land.

ChiCoCo members feel that this pedestrian-centered, resident-planned
approach to housing is a far better option than the usual style of
development. For more information about ChiCoCo, or if you are interested in
becoming a member, contact Sheila Braun at 660-9466 or email her at
akaEmma [at] together.net.