Co-Housing in Asheville.. a model for solving housing crisis?

http://www.westwoodcohousing.com/details.html


What is CoHousing?
CoHousing communities respond to contemporary needs by combining the autonomy of private dwellings with the advantages of community living. Initially pioneered in Denmark over 20 years ago, the CoHousing concept reestablishes many of the advantages of traditional neighborhoods and villages within the context of late twentieth-century life.

Each household has a private residence, self-sufficient with its own kitchen. The private dwellings are clustered around pedestrian commons with a central common house. Shared activities such as meals, gardening and child care enhance the social connections among residents and often save time and money.

Characteristics of CoHousing Communities


Participatory Process: The residents, working with design professionals, influence the design of the site and buildings.

Neighborhood Design: The physical design is pedestrian friendly, with parking at the perimeter, to encourage a sense of safety and community.

Extensive Common Facilities: Individual dwellings, complete with kitchens, are complemented by community facilities designed for daily use such as kitchen, dining room, play rooms, laundry, guest rooms, gardens, outdoor sitting and play areas.

Resident Management: Residents manage their community cooperatively, through a Homeowners Association.


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and is not capable of solving any kind of housing crisis. I helped with the design and implementation of a Northern CA. cohousing project. My younger child was born on site shortly after our house was completed. I have since moved on due to a divorce. Now I work in property management.

There is no way we can build our way out of any housing crisis. The vast majority of housing is and will be pre-existing buildings. What we need to do is look at groups of buildings and neighborhoods and see what can be done to improve the energy efficiency, community co-operation and livibility of those buildings.

One thing I believe that Americans need to give up on is the three bedroom house occupied by a single retiree or couple. This is just wastefull of resources and implies an ablility to endlessly cut trees and pave wilderness to house people.

Just as important we need to start living in our neighborhoods as neighbors. Even in the Cohousing project a full third of the adults take no part in community maintenance and upkeep. Some still manage only nodding aquaintance with their neighbors. Community spirit and interdependence needs to be rediscovered in the U.S. Perhaps when gas becomes unaffordable that will happen.

A bit of a tender nerve with me. Flame away. I will retire until 6pm Pacific time.

I often thought, as we crammed 3 kids into small houses,. that it wasn't fair that 2 old people lived in a huge, empty house, while we slept 3 boys in one room:)

Of course now WE have been in the 4 bedroom house, and the boys are grown, but the only real option we have is for us to move to a smaller place, but due to housing prices here in So Cal, we would end up paying way too much for way too little.. At some point we will almost have to move out of state to make selling an option for us..

Perhaps the solution IS to "re-do" existing neighborhoods and capitalize on what's already built though.. Our town is BOOMING with mile after mile of new houses and HUGE condo complexes.. All I see is more traffic, more schools, more stress on utilities and higher taxes :(