Seeing an unfilled niche in the housing marketplace, developers in suburban Seattle are trying to build a communal housing development.
Their idea is to build 32 small houses on a six-acre plot, and orienting each of the houses on either side of a single road, with porches facing in.
"A community house will offer shared meeting and social spaces for things like birthday parties. It could also include shared guest rooms and office space on a second floor (the first few buyers will decide the details). A central garden and a car-sharing program would give neighbors further reasons to interact.
Lead developer Ben Kaufman of GreenWorks Realty says the inspiration came almost 20 years ago, while meditating at an ancient temple site in Hawaii. 'I had a big shift at a young age in discovering that the good life isn't about money and fancy cars,' he told me. 'It's about relationships with people and with nature.'"
FULL STORY: Co-Housing the Suburbs
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie