Interested in Cohousing in Iowa?
- What is Cohousing
Cohousing is the name of a type of collaborative housing that attempts to
overcome the alienation of modern subdivisions in which no-one knows their
neighbors, and there is no sense of community. It is characterized by private
dwellings with their own kitchen, living-dining room etc, but also extensive
common facilities. The common house may include a large dining room, kitchen,
lounges, meeting rooms, recreation facilities, library, workshops, and
childrens's space.
- Other examples: N Street Cohousing
- Building an urban village: Retrofit Cohousing
- NPR Morning Edition story on cohousing
Guiding Principles:
- Higher-density community oriented housing
- Encourage pedestrian and bicycle commuting (5 blocks from Iowa State Campus)
- Support locally grown foods and shared meals
- Tolerance and respect for others viewpoints, as well as open and honest communication
- Building a link between short-term student residents long-term residents
Why bother with this?
The current american dream of everyone owning a nice house in the suburbs is
not sustainable. We want to start building a better world by changing that dream
to something that people still want to have that doesn't overextend our natural
resources.
We are starting by taking existing resources (in this case, homes on a block in
West Ames, about a
15 minute walk to the Iowa State University campus), and building a community
that can bridge the gap between long-term residents and more transient, but
still community-oriented students.
Eventually, we hope to be able to grow and get enough resources to purchase
farmland, and start a sustainable organic farming operation, including biomass,
solar, and wind energy production, and be able to produce food and energy to be
able to sell to members of the original cohousing community in town, and the
general public. Part of the farming effort will be to document a total net positive
energy and food production for the entire community in a long-term sustainable way.
Current Status:
Currently we have two houses next to each other.
We need to find community-oriented people to rent rooms in both houses. In
dorms or fraternity and sorority houses, there is an instant community, but
also heavy supervision and sometimes intolerance. In an apartment, you have
freedom and space of your own, but are isolated from the community and your
peers, with no shared vision or goals. Our vision is that this co-housing
community will provide the the best of both worlds, blending community with
autonomy, tolerance, and respect.
We want to
have the level of community involvement and sense of belonging you get by
knowing your neighbors, but also be accepting and tolerant of people with
differing ideas on how they choose to live their lives.
News
Ames Cohousing is currently the founder and sponsor of the Iowa Grid
project to reduce energy use of computers, and allow end-user visibility and
participation in the electrical
power market.
We've got a
mailing list now as well. Sign up and
discuss something. (or bug me until I update this page or set up a wiki)
We're also hosting a list for the Ames Green Drinks
group.. there is a
discussion list and an
announce list