Sustainable Community Learning from the cohousing model

This book explores the link between "sustainability" and "community". It is based on a 10 year study of cohousing, a popular new type of planned residential community that pressing environmental and social needs. It used data (including 120 photographs, 50 diagrams and 30 tables) from twelve cohousing developments in Canada, the US, New Zealand, Australia and Japan - concrete examples of successful sustainable comunities.

The book is scholarly and authoritative, yet accessible to a broad intelligent readership as an illustrated account of a fashinating cultural phenomenon. It will be valued to students of architecture, planning, sociology, community psychology and environmental studies as well as architects, planners and other professionals. It should prompt local authorities and developers to envisage and implement genuinely sustainable urban development proposals.

Sustainable Community - Learning from the cohousing model in depht and insightful information for partecipants in the cohousing, ecovillages, sustainability and communities movements. It is well known that such activists face a scarcity of literature from which to draw ideas and inspiration. This book will help fill that avoid.

"If this book encourages more people to explore innovative ways of sharing living space, it will have made a real contribution to a better future." Professor Ian Lowe AO

Dr Graham Metzer is considered the world's leading expert on cohousing. He is an architect, scholar and commercial photographer who consults, research and lectures in environmental and social architecture, housing and communalism.

CONTENTS
 

PART ONE
Chapter 1 Introduction 
Chapter 2 Quayside Village Cohousing 
Chapter 3 WindSong Cohousing 
Chapter 4 Songaia Cohousing 
Chapter 5 Puget Ridge Cohousing 
Chapter 6 Marsh Commons Cohousing 
Chapter 7 N Street Cohousing 
Chapter 8 Berkeley Cohousing 
Chapter 9 Swan’s Market Cohousing 
Chapter 10 Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood 
Chapter 11 Cohousing Cooperative 
Chapter 12 Cascade Cohousing 
Chapter 13 Kyõdõ no mori Cohousing

PART TWO
Chapter 14 Circumstance: physical setting and managed systems 
Chapter 15 Interaction: interpersonal influence and exchange 
Chapter 16 Relationship: close sharing and social support 
Chapter 17 Engagement: from belonging to efficacy 
Chapter 18 Empowerment: lessons from the cohousing model 
Chapter 19 Sustainable Community: applying the lessons

List of Tables
Table 2.1: Community Data, Quayside Village Cohousing 
Table 3.1: Community Data, WindSong Cohousing 
Table 4.1: Community Data, Songaia Cohousing 
Table 4.2: Songaia’s ten-year development journey 
Table 5.1: Community Data, Puget Ridge Cohousing 
Table 6.1: Community Data, Marsh Commons 
Table 7.1: Community Data, N Street Cohousing 
Table 8.1: Community Data, Berkeley Cohousing 
Table 9.1: Community Data, Swan’s Market Cohousing 
Table 10.1: Community Data, Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood 
Table 10.2: Projected average household cost savings, Earthsong 

Eco-Neighbourhood 
Table 11.1: Community Data, Cohousing Cooperative 
Table 11.2: Rostered car pooling and childcare arrangements, Cohousing Cooperative
Table 12.1: Community Data, Cascade Cohousing 
Table 13.1: Community Data, Kyõdõ no mori Cohousing 
Table 14.1: Prior and current locations of cohousing households 
Table 14.2: Reported changed ownership of vehicles and bicycles 
Table 14.3: Density analysis 
Table 14.4: Dwelling size (in m²) by numbers of bedrooms 
Table 14.5: Cohousing household’s current and prior dwelling types 
Table 14.6: Typical cohousing recycling protocol 
Table 14.7: Food Preferences chart at Berkley Cohousing 
Table 15.1: Demographic characteristics of the American 

Cohousing population 
Table 15.2: Distribution of vocations in American cohousing 
Table 15.3: Gross annual income of residents with full-time employment 
Table 16.1: Changes in household ownership of goods 
Table 16.2: Lending list of household items available to others 
Table 16.3: Shedule of existing and proposed common facilities 
Table 16.4: Area analysis of common versus private space 
Table 16.5: Cohousing affordability analysis 
Table 17.1: Development timeline for each project 
Table 17.2: Reported participation in community activities