25 Apr 2012

Ecos Magazine, Sustainable neighbourhoods: the cohousing model Article

below is a link to my latest article
Sustainable neighbourhoods: the cohousing model
was published today in Ecos Magazine. ECOS, CSIRO publication is Australia's most authoritative magazine on the science of sustainability and the environment.

http://www.ecosmagazine.com/?paper=EC12262

'Social Cities'- Report by Grattan Institute


"This report explores these and other aspects of our cities. While it
is not comprehensive, it draws together a wide range of current
knowledge into a single document. A clear thread running through
our findings is that people attract people: we like (and need) to be
around one another".

"Many issues facing our cities are enormous, difficult, and
expensive to tackle. Residents often feel they have no say in
decisions affecting them. But improving social connection is not
necessarily hard or costly. In many cases big returns can come
from small outlays, as shown by examples in our appendix.
Conversely, the loneliness and isolation that result from neglect of
our social needs will cost individuals and society dearly. After all,
cities are for people."


on Page 47 of the report cohousing is presented as one contemporary example of innovation in residential arrangements .

Worthwhile reading

cheers
gilo


http://www.grattan.edu.au/home.php


Kelly, J-F.; Breadon, P.; Davis, C.; Hunter, A.; Mares, P.; Mullerworth, D.; Weidmann, B., 2012, Social Cities, Grattan Institute, Melbourne.

9 Mar 2012

E-Co- Neighbourhood Blue Mountains Orientation Day

Sunday March 18 
10:30am-1:30pm
@ Lawson Neighbourhood Centre, 9 new street

At the orientation you will meet some of the group members, learn in more details what our aims are, how we run our meeting and you'll also get the chance to ask us anything.

Pls confirm if you intend to come, just so we'll know what to expect.

thanks
Gilo Holtzman

gilo@synthesisstudio.org

1 Mar 2012

Sydney Coastal Ecovillage

After many years of  hard work by Lyndall Parris and a group of volunteers , the moment of truth is near, where the preferred land for Sydney Coastal Ecovillage development  in Nararra is up for sale.  have a look at the link below, can you imagine anything else but an Ecovillage with some Cohousing clusters in it?




 www.scev.org

27 Feb 2012

Intro to Coho Presentation

Gilo delivered a comprehensive preso on co-housing and it's variants, using plenty of examples from all over the world and Australia.

Many thanks to all the people who joined us for the presentation

Next Presentation some time in the next few week will be in Sydney, details soon.

image curtsey of Jed Walker Transition Blue Mountains

19 Jan 2012

Creating a Sustainable Neighbourhood Presentation

The E-Co-Neighbourhood Blue Mountains Initiative
would like to invite you to our  
Creating a Sustainable Neighbourhood Presentation
 
Gilo will introduce the Cohousing Model concept and the E-Co-Neighbourhood Blue Mountains group intent and progress.


17 Jan 2012

Slow Neighbourhood : the Cohousing Model

Posted by Gilo on website on Friday, October 14, 2011

Modern cities are facing increasing challenges around social isolation, population growth, housing shortages and resource distribution impacted by climate change. Managing growth, reducing traffic, creating sustainable development, sharing resources and amenities are all challenges we face today.

Within these challenges, the importance of an individual to make a change comes from one‘s need to gain back the control over their way of living. Where we live and what we eat are influenced by what we can afford and by what is sold to us and these choices  are usually being dictated to us by big Corporations (70% of the work force work) .
About 2,400 years ago, the Greek philosopher Plato described an ideal community where everything was organised collectively. In 1506, the Englishman Thomas More published the book “Utopia, which gave a name to such visions. In Mores‘ideal community, people were to live in neighbourhood groups with common dining rooms and various shared leisure facilities.

Slow neighbourhood draws its inspiration from the notion of the old neighbourhoods, where neighbours knew and supported each other, and such utopian ideas of collaborative living and sharing , while preserving our contemporary way of living which values the private as well .

Cohousing communities are neighbourhoods which feature common facilities, sustainable living practices and good connections with neighbourresidents, with residents actively participating in the design, planning and operation of their own neighbourhoods. That is, cohousing is a form of intentional community.

 


Cascade Cohousing, Hobart Au

The cohousing model involves participation by residents within a non-hierarchical management structure, fostering shared decision-making, creating and maintaining a caring community, fostering the development of meaningful relationships between neighbours, and ensuring that residents feel a sense of belonging. As a result, cohousing communities tend to encourage a sense of physical safety. The physical layouts of the neighbourhood buildings encourage this: the design is pedestrian-oriented, aiming to encourage opportunities for casual meetings between neighbours; there are large common houses/facilities which provide space for both planned and spontaneous get-together such as celebrations, hobby clubs, movie-watching and shared meals.

In terms of scale, cohousing neighbourhoods are typically designed for 12 to 35 owner occupied or rental residential units, with units often being smaller in size and clustered together to allow for more shared open space. The self-managed nature of cohousing communities provides residents with opportunities to develop new life skills
While many people are now searching for new ways to take back control over their lives, Cohousing (and ‘Pocket Neighbourhood ‘concept that I will write about in another post) provides innovative solutions to many of today’s environmental and social challenges.

Cheers
Gilo