Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Church Conversion Retrofit Cohousing Panel for National Conference in NC

[R Philip Dowds (rpdowds]

There are a number of possible response to this.  One is that cohousing is a 
social compact, not a particular kind kind of architecture; over time, they 
will make progress in moving their physical plant into a configuration more 
supportive of their communal intents.  On the other hand, many will argue that 
the common house is an absolutely essential component of the cohousing model.  
Is a car still a car if it does not have tires?  Well, I guess it is … but it’s 
not a very good car.

RPD

> On Nov 10, 2014, at 12:42 PM, Kevin Wolf <kevinjwolf [at] gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Most of the small and growing "N Street style" retrofit cohousing
> communities that I know of have had no elements where they involved a
> design process to create any part of their community except for the outside
> yards and new paths that connected their yards together. They are making do
> with building designs that was originally there.  The residents  can't
> afford yet to dedicate one house to become a common house because they
> can't afford it.