ecovillage
myvalleysun.com
October 17, 2013
Bullish on the real news in the Monashee
My Valley Sun
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Online Community News for Lumby, Cherryville, Rural Coldstream and Highway 6
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Returning to Basics:
The Muir Commons Community
Charles Durrett is an American architect and author based in Nevada City, California. With his wife, Kathryn McCamant, he is credited with coining the English term cohousing and introducing the cohousing model for use in North America.
With his wife, he designed Muir Commons, the first cohousing community in North America, and has designed or consulted on the design of over 50 cohousing communities in North America. He has also consulted on many other cohousing projects around the world. In recent years he has focused on cohousing for older persons.
Muir Commons was the first community newly constructed in the United States modeled after cohousing communities in Denmark. After several years of planning, ground breaking took place on November 1990 with the residents moving in during the summer of 1991.
Who Lives at Muir Commons?
Currently Muir Commons is home to approximately 45 adults and 35 children. Households include a variety of family structures. Most homes are owner-occupied, but several are occupied by renters.
Physical Site Features
Muir Commons is made up of 26 homes on just under three acres. Each individual house includes complete kitchens and private yards. Houses come in three models ranging from 808 to 1381 square feet.
The clustered homes face a central pedestrian pathway while the backyards face the outer edges of the site. Outdoor features at Muir Commons include a garden, an orchard, children's playground, lawns, and "nodes" to facilitate socializing. The extensive landscaping includes many drought-tolerant and native species.
The 3,668 square foot Common House is the heart of the community and includes a large kitchen and dining area to accommodate community gatherings including shared meals.
Other features include a sitting room with a fireplace, a children's playroom, an exercise room, a recreation room, an office, laundry room, and a guest room. Other shared facilities include a 900 square foot woodworking and automotive shop, parking areas, bicycle sheds, and a hot tub.
Back to Basics:
A Cohousing Farm
Nubanusit Neighborhood & Farm in Peterborough, New Hampshire
We are families, couples, and individuals committed to enriching each other's lives, reaching community decisions by consensus, and respecting the land on which we live. We are a family-friendly cohousing condominium community. Our homes are 'green' - environmentally designed, quality built, and super energy-efficient. The condo homes are clustered along pedestrian ways adjacent to our farm fields and the Nubanusit Brook.
We share 70+ acres of farm land, fields and woodlands with trails, a pond, and nearly a mile of riverfront. An organic farm supplies our CSA, and chickens supply eggs.
The Common House and Callie's Common form the heart of the community for twice-weekly optional meals, meetings, planned events, and spontaneous happenings. The Governor's House, an historic farmstead with professional office and studio space, is in use by several residents for photography, pottery, and weaving.
Here’s what others say about Nubanusit Neighborhood & Farm
...the rural land is conserved through easements; it boasts a pond for swimming and skating, forested tracts for long walks, and open pastures. The 16 shingled, pitch-roofed structures—almost iconic New England shelters—are clustered together and connected by pedestrian walkways and common green space. It is a modern, energy-saving twist on an age-old concept: the village.
Harvard Magazine
...sustainable housing, pedestrian living, and neighborhood involvement.
New England Condominium Magazine
With about forty residents living in separate but thoughtfully connected homes, Nubanusit is part of a worldwide movement that is helping redefine community.
New Hampshire Home
Solar Panels at Muir Commons
Returning to Basics
Ecovillage & Cohousing
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