Building a Sustainable Economy Through Community Sharing

peakmoment

 Published on Apr 14, 2012 

  Peak Moment 210: "Sharing really is going to save the world!" declares Janelle Orsi, author of The Sharing Solution, noting that it's fun, doesn't require special skills -- and we can start now. She and Jennifer Kassan co-founded the Sustainable Economies Law Center to help people formalize collaborative structures like producer cooperatives, cohousing developments and tool lending libraries. They're working to reduce the hurdles to investing in locally-owned and locally-controlled enterprises. No wonder law students are excited to intern with them! [theSELC.org and sharingsolution.com]


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Calgary cohousing community celebrates 10 years

2nd cohousing project to break ground in Calgary this weekend

CBC News

Posted: May 8, 2013 12:57 PM MT

Last Updated: May 9, 2013 10:36 AM

 New cohousing project1:51

Prairie Sky Cohousing website

Canadian Cohousing Network website

(Note:CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external links.)

Alberta's first cohousing community is preparing to celebrate its 10th anniversary this weekend.
Prairie Sky Cohousing Cooperative — home to more than 40 people — sits on a large lot in Winston Heights where a single family home once stood.


A spontaneous gathering of Prairie Sky cohousing residents. (Prairie Sky website)
There are now 18 units spread among three buildings that are fully equipped townhouses or apartments.
Residents also share common spaces, including a 3,200-square-foot common house with a kitchen, dining room and lounge where community members gather for shared meals, recreation and other events.





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Cohousing Tempts Italians During Real Estate Crisis

By Marco Tistarelli, Epoch Times | April 26, 2013

Last Updated: April 26, 2013 1:07 am

Number Zero facade in Turin, Italy. The doors opened on the March 4, 2013, after over five years of work. (Matteo Nobili / cohousingnumerozero.org)

With the Italian real estate market in free fall, increasing numbers of people are tumbling through the gaps. Too rich to claim social housing and too poor to afford a traditional house, some are turning to a new approach—cohousing.
“The concept of cohousing originated in northern Europe in the ’60s,” says Nadia Simionato, spokeswoman for the Italian network Cohousing.it “Then it spread to other countries and reached Italy in 2006.”
The basic idea is to combine in a condominium the autonomy of a private house with the benefits that come from sharing space and resources such as a garden, gymnasium, laundry, gardens, and children’s day care. The whole project is collectively designed and chosen by those who will live in those spaces.
“There’s a ‘gray zone’ of the Italian population who cannot afford a traditional house but that is too rich to access the rankings for the social housing,” says Simionato. “Through the cohousing we think we can solve this critical point.”
But Simionato complains the state is behind the times. “Public administration seems to struggle to understand that cohousing is a successful model. Worldwide there are over a thousand examples of cohousing, from a few family members to dozens. In Italy we have developed three projects, already in place, and we are working with two others, connecting prospective buyers and designers.”


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