tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7805468.post-1141056166022532062006-02-27T07:54:00.000-08:002006-02-27T11:33:09.780-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3621/499/1600/27commune.1.184.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3621/499/320/27commune.1.184.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/27/national/27commune.html?ex=1298696400&en=713dfac448c06760&amp;ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss">New York Times today</a> has an interesting article on a cohousing project in Davis, California developed by and for a group of retirees. The small development, called <a href="http://www.abrahampaiss.com/ElderCohousing/GlacierCircle.htm">Glacier Circle</a>, features a series of townhomes and a "common house" that allows for gathering and socializing. The idea behind this development is to enhance social networks that are often in a state of uncertainty for many seniors.<br /><br />Employing a modified "superblock" layout--the development is part of a movement challenging the modernist impulse to institutionalize the elderly and to resist the rather <a href="http://www.delwebb.com/Default.aspx">vacuous "lifestyle communities"</a> that dominate the upper-class retirement landscape.<br /><br />One issue that does not get addressed in the Times article is the fact that the segmentation of urban function that characterizes post-War North American suburban development has been profoundly anti-elderly. While Glacier Circle further advances that project, it is important to note that vibrant social networks and the compact urban form that marks pre-War cities offer a great deal of autonomy for seniors. In a city, the proximity of shopping, social activity, and multiple transportation options can enhance the quality of life for people as their physical mobility declines.<br /><br />Social isolation still exists in urban areas--as <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/61-0226443221-0">Eric Klinenberg has demonstrated</a> in his treatment of patterns of elderly mortality during Chicago's 1995 heat wave--but more concern with the particular needs and interests of historically-underrepresented populations such as the elderly or children can provide inspiration for more sensible general planning policies.Unoreply@blogger.com