Yesterday, my Permaculture class went on a field trip to the Arcadia Cohousing Community in Chapel Hill, NC. It is basically a planned neighborhood of 33 individually owned homes that are clustered together in a way that promotes interaction and cooperation. Instead of clearly defined lots and divisions, there are peripheral parking spaces and many houses are connected by either common doors or breezeways. Sidewalks link the homes to the central green space, common house (including a commercial-style kitchen, and rooms for guests), and the creek. The development is 6 acres, with another 10 acres set aside for wildlife, recreation, and a community garden.
The main difference between this and a commune is that Arcadia is simply an intentional neighborhood. People there have regular jobs, aren’t very “granola” (there were few solar panels), and aren’t required to perform any type of community work.
Overall, it was interesting to see and honestly it would be wonderful if more neighborhoods had this type of arrangement. Every family in Arcadia knows everyone else, and several even serve together on community committees. How many of you can say that you know 32 of your neighbors?
Check out the photos, especially the ones of the green rickshaw-type bike. It carries two people side-by-side and has a small electric motor to assist on hills. Pretty neat, although the pricetag (including upgrades) was over $3,000.
After Arcadia, we did a quick drive-by of the newer Pacifica community right down the road in Carrboro, NC. It seems to be denser, comprised mostly of townhomes and condos, with very few individual homes. I liked the funky colors. See photos.
Pacifica Cohousing Information
Last, but not least, we visited the Pickard’s Mountain Eco-Institute which is run by Tim Toben and his wife Megan. Nobody was around to give us an official tour, but it looked like they were doing great things. We got to go inside part of the Toben’s house which was unbelievable. It wasn’t anything I’d ever want to live in, but it was interesting to see what some people view as “eco friendly” when the budget is in the millions of dollars (Tim is the former CEO of a dot com company).
Tim Toben Interview on Treehugger
Pickard’s Mountain Eco Institute
Pickard Mountain / Toben House Photos
