I have just returned from an inspiring cohousing conference in Portland where we toured a number of wonderful sites, both urban and rural, and saw the many ways that folks are bringing cohousing to the lucky residents of Portland, Oregon.
We visited PDX Commons, an urban cohousing neighborhood for folks 55+. Their cohousing is on a major bus line in a truly walkable community with 100 restaurants within a mile! They advertised the way you might think an urban place would, using NPR and farmer's markets and small local papers to get the word out. They are at capacity with a waitlist of 50.
The keynote address was by Courtney Martin, author of The New Better Off: Reinventing the American Dream. She spoke of the many benefits of her intergenerational cohousing community in Oakland and the incredible gifts that come from living in such a community. She also touched on the lack of diversity (both racial and income) that exists in cohousing. There was much to learn and ponder, great people to learn from, good food, drinks and lots of laughs.
Quote of the week, "The best way to predict your future is to create it."
PDX Commons, Portland, Oregon
Comments