We rarely stop to think about what the places around us tell us, but we rely on what they say to know where we are, where we’re going, how to act, and what to expect from other people. The physical form of a community conveys messages about who lives there, what goes on there, how people relate to each other, and quite a lot more. This session will focus on what cohousing communities – the buildings and landscape – have to say about the people and life there. We will look at a variety of examples to see what messages they are sending and how we can design communities to send the messages we intend.

If “good fences make good neighbors,” then in community building, we should pay close attention to the kinds of boundaries we create. “Fences” can either facilitate or obstruct a strong sense of community. How can we align physical boundaries with social boundaries? In this session, Stefani Danes will look at the concept of boundaries in cohousing, present examples of intentional and unintentional boundaries in the cohousing environment, and identify ways in which physical boundaries successfully support interpersonal relationships and community building. Drawing from a wide range of cohousing developments, she will discuss some guiding principles about designing an environment to support community life.

Much has been made about how traditional urban and New Urban neighborhoods support community and families. But these neighborhoods are not great environments for small children and, despite the front porches, lack an armature that supports mutually supportive human relationships. Traditional neighborhoods are a reflection of individualistic American values. To what extent can neighborhoods incorporate features of cohousing and become better environments for children? This session will review the standard approaches, values, and possible shortcomings of traditional neighborhood design. It will then briefly provide an overview of how cohousing has been integrated into urban neighborhoods, discuss “pocket neighborhoods,” and present New Urbanist neighborhoods that incorporate features of cohousing site planning – such as common greens. A full gradation of examples, including cohousing, traditional villages, and traditional neighborhoods, will be presented and discussed.

In the past eight years, Waylon Lewis has built something of a media empire of mindful living. Beginning with the magazine Yoga in the Rockies, through a successful print run of elephant magazine, and into an interactive online edition of elephant journal, Waylon has created tangible awareness and social change. His expertise in social media applies to the cohousing movement as we strive for our own tipping point.