Cohousing-L Mailing List: Cohousing that has evolved in existing neighborhoods

[Diana Leafe Christian (diana]

Hello,

I'm familiar with four communities in cities where people have done this (most 
with cool videos about their project):   
        (1) Genesee Gardens Cohousing, an urban retrofit community along two 
sides of a short cul-de-sac street in Lansing, Michigan.
                 4-minute video 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eHgnTc7Oys&t=9s 
        (2) N St. Cohousing in Davis, California, which co-founder Kevin Wolfe 
just wrote this list about, with community members’ homes all around a city 
block, as well as some homes across the street and on adjacent streets.
        (3) Los Angeles Eco-Village, comprised of intentional neighbors in two 
adjacent apartment buildings by a T-intersection in a four-plex across the 
street in  in downtown Los Angeles.  
               90-second video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MycjQWg_ZVg
               10-minute video:  youtube.com/watch?v=FdQGozSavz8        
        (4) Enright Ridge Urban Ecovillage, comprised of about one-third of the 
residents on both sides of a three-quarter-mile long cul-de-sac street.and some 
residents on nearby streets in Cincinnati, Ohio. 
                10-minute video - 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akFjvPx81-k&t=541s

These groups have activities like weekly shared meals, food-buying co-ops, 
child-care co-ops, a central compost area and/or central recycling station, 
carpooling, a car co-op, a centrally located bike shed or bike racks, a 
bicycle-co-op, a sauna or hot tub co-op, and so on. Enright Ridge has a full on 
CSA Farm with food growing in various community members' large backyards, and 
Genesee Gardens has a community garden plot at the end of their cul-de-sac 
street. At N St. Cohousing and Genesee Gardens one or several community members 
bought a house in the neighborhood to serve as the Common House. Enright Ridge 
uses the neighborhood environmental education center for meetings and events. 
LA Eco-Village uses the lobby and garden courtyard of its larger apartment 
building. Enright Ridge and LA Eco-Village also offer classes and  workshops 
and organize rituals, and celebrations. 

Jim Schenck, environmental educator activist and co-founder of Enright Ridge 
Urban Ecovillage, has just written, Creating an Urban Ecovillage: A Model for 
Revitalizing Our Cities. I'm contributing a small section to his book on steps 
groups can take to organize their own urban neighborhood  communities, and Jim 
offers consultations with groups who would like to do this. For more 
information about Jim's book and consultations: jschenk [at] imagoearth.org

Diana