Retrofitting Existing Communities

Suburban America is a phenomenon made possible by the automobile and cheap energy. Post-World War II residential developments, like Levittown in New York, promised returning GI’s a sense of space, affordability, family life, and upward mobility. Most Americans currently live in suburban neighborhoods, and the suburban way of life — now an integral part of the “American Dream” —has become deeply embedded in the American consciousness.
 

The underside of suburban life has always been the social isolation it creates and —for want of a better word — its blandness. Factor in an impending worldwide energy crisis, and it becomes clear that the current rate of suburban growth is also unsustainable.¹  But considering the huge investment in infrastructure that the suburbs represent, can we — even if we wanted to — simply abandon them?

A hopeful, countervailing view comes from Dan Chiras and Dave Wann, who believe “most neighborhoods have the raw ingredients and resources to become sustainable, resilient, and healthy.” In Superbia!, “a book of possibilities for reconnecting people with both neighbors and nature,” they offer concrete recommendations (see inset ) “for social and physical changes to enrich the neighborhoods we already live in.”

Observing that “many neighborhoods are currently programmed for dysfunction,” the authors do not minimize the major barriers that “limit options in the suburbs…

• The physical layout of suburbs, which results in social isolation and resource consumption (for example, lots of driving and high fuel bills).
• The "mold" of suburban culture, which reinforces extravagant, private lifestyles that often disregard public values and require expensive, time-consuming maintenance.
• Government incentives, municipal zoning laws, and bank lending policies that shaped suburbia but have become obsolete. American culture has changed, but the rules haven't."

Falconbridge: A Case Study
(In Progress)

Bolton Anthony, Second Journey founder, and his wife Lisa are currently involved in an effort to create a new elder cohousing community in their area. But they are torn — which is apparently not uncommon. They love their condominium and its physical setting; however, they deplore the neighborhood's lack of community.

So they have set about to explore what the possibilities are for enhancing community in the Falconbridge neighborhood. This has involved “introducing” themselves to their neighbors, with a letter that they hoped would enlist the interest of fellow travelers, and going door-to-door with the letter. It also involved creating a simple website where resources and profiles of residents could be posted.

The exercise is also forcing Bolton and Lisa to think through the physical renovations required to make their current home handicapped-accessible (see universal design) and what steps to increase energy efficiency are practical.

The website, Falconbridge.us, is shared to spark ideas for others in similar situations.

. Retrofitting Existing Buildings

Casa Clara is the brain child of Carol Glassheim, who parlayed private capital (a small inheritance from the project's namesake, her mother Clara) into an enduring legacy for the City of Albuquerque.

Glassheim and architect Robert Strell took a decaying 20-unit apartment complex and created an altogether new model for aging in community that combines affordable rental units with the values and ideals of a cooperative structure. It will appeal to those who value their independence and control over their own lives, but who also want the benefits that come from a community committed to mutual caring.

The facility consists of five fourplexes on an acre and a half of land located within walking distance of the University of New Mexico North Campus area and to grocery stores, bus lines, and the medical center of the University. All 20 garden apartments have been totally renovated, most as two-bedroom. A common house will include a dining area, kitchen, living room, office, craft room, exam room, bath, and laundry area. The beautifully landscaped grounds will include a common garden space, a meditation garden, and places for both sun and shade.

Cohousing projects often present exciting opportunities for retrofitting of existing structures. In Oakland, California two women, Karen Hester and Dianne Ohlsson, heard about property going up for sale behind a building one was renting. They involved friends they thought might be interested, and the group bought the six units and, shortly afterwards, an adjacent house. Within months the original group of five families moved in and began working on the group of duplexes and single-family homes. Now they have a compound of 26 people who share communal meals twice a week, have monthly workdays, and share holiday celebrations. Their four buildings center on shared gardens and a children’s play area, and they have built a common house with an upstairs apartment.³