Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: 180 degrees (360 degrees actually)

[Becky Weaver (beckyweaver]

I reviewed the websites, and want to point out that Broendby haveby afd. 3 
(pictured in the links) is not a housing development, but a "colony garden" 
development. Colony gardens are a Danish tradition begun in the late 1800's, 
little plots of land sold to (predominantly urban) workers as places where they 
could grow a garden & spend some time outdoors in a green environment. I think 
the English term is "allotment."
   
  I think the purpose of the central parking is to minimize the amount of 
pavement. You may notice that there isn't nearly enough parking - that's 
because many kolonihaven gardeners probably do not own cars. The kolonihavens I 
saw had no adjacent parking or auto access whatsoever. Owners get to their 
gardens by bus or bicycle. Frequently they build "garden sheds" on their 
property that morph into little weekend getaway houses, though that was not the 
original intention of the allotments - they were created so city dwellers could 
get some fresh air & homegrown vegetables. These little houses - 
kolonihavenshuser - are often very creatively and caringly constructed by their 
owners, and can be extremely cute but definitely not for year-round living in a 
Northern European climate. At least, that's how they were in 1988, the last 
time I was in Denmark and personally saw any. 
   
  As far as the gardens being "jammed up against each other," these circular 
gardens, with the houses at the end facing lawn or field, create much more 
private space for the gardeners than any of the kolonihavens I saw outside 
Copenhagen. The green "spokes" are thick, neatly clipped hedges that can easily 
grow six to nine feet high. Land is scare in Denmark, and remember these are 
garden allotments for apartment dwellers. The designs probably provide far more 
privacy and fresh air than their owners (or at least renters) have ever gotten 
before. 
   
  Perhaps the folks who sign up for them have enough social contact already in 
their city-neighborhood lives, and prefer to garden in as close to bucolic 
solitude as they can get. While cohousing originated in Denmark, it's not the 
only social movement that ever took place there. "Kolonihaven"s meet a very 
different need, and were created during a very different time in history, 
probably when rather than wishing they had more connection to the neighbors, 
people wished they could get away from everybody once in a while. :-) 
   
  Becky Weaver
  Central Austin Cohousing/Kaleidoscope Village
  Austin, TX