Searching for Community
by Nancy Mills
Last night, Mark and I moderated a panel discucssion called The Possibilities of Place: Housing Options for the Next Life Stage. About 150 people gathered at the Newton Free Library in Newton, Massachusetts to hear from a panel of three experts in housing, sponsored by Discovering What's Next. It was clear from the discussion that we Boomers and the trailblazing generation before us are searching for new ways to define home and to design the places we want to live.
Panelist and Community Consultant Jean LeVaux has worked for many years to help create co-housing communities. She said the biggest motivation for people is the prevention of "nuclear isolation" - going from home to work to home again and never seeing or speaking to our neighbors! Sound familiar? LeVaux has been involved with Oaktree Green, pioneers in communal housing that focus on design quality in urban multifamily housing. Jean described ways different generations support each other in a 41 unit complex in Cambridge...neighbors who care for each other when there's an illness, sitting with a new baby or just sharing meals.
There are roadblocks to overcome to create these communities, especially in high cost cities. It's not cheap to buy and then renovate urban spaces. Another issue - suburban zoning laws. Newton, for example, says no more than four unrelated adults can live under the same roof. If a group of Boomers wanted to buy, renovate and then share an old rambling Victorian home there, city regulations would have to be changed.
Panelist Andrea Cohen , CEO of HouseWorks, runs a company dedicated to helping seniors live independently. She said Beacon Hill Village in Boston is a national model for people who want to "age in place." Andrea listed several things people say they want close to them in later life: friends, culture, green space and learning opportunities. She said they want to control their own destiny, have shopping and services within walking distance and have "lifestyle continuity."
Professor Charles Harris, a panelist who is about to turn 80, is exploring the creation of a new intergenerational "lifespan" residential community near Harvard Square. He thinks virtual communities that share services and link neighbors should include a Business Center, office space that would get people out of home offices and into shared space with career and social supports.
Behind all of the discussion last night, it seemed to me, was a real desire for community and the fear of aging in isolation. We Boomers are constantly being told that we are going to live longer lives than we might have imagined or planned for. But a long life alone doesn't sound very attractive. That's why we should all be thinking now about new, creative options for housing in our next stage of life.
Last night, Mark and I moderated a panel discucssion called The Possibilities of Place: Housing Options for the Next Life Stage. About 150 people gathered at the Newton Free Library in Newton, Massachusetts to hear from a panel of three experts in housing, sponsored by Discovering What's Next. It was clear from the discussion that we Boomers and the trailblazing generation before us are searching for new ways to define home and to design the places we want to live.
Panelist and Community Consultant Jean LeVaux has worked for many years to help create co-housing communities. She said the biggest motivation for people is the prevention of "nuclear isolation" - going from home to work to home again and never seeing or speaking to our neighbors! Sound familiar? LeVaux has been involved with Oaktree Green, pioneers in communal housing that focus on design quality in urban multifamily housing. Jean described ways different generations support each other in a 41 unit complex in Cambridge...neighbors who care for each other when there's an illness, sitting with a new baby or just sharing meals.
There are roadblocks to overcome to create these communities, especially in high cost cities. It's not cheap to buy and then renovate urban spaces. Another issue - suburban zoning laws. Newton, for example, says no more than four unrelated adults can live under the same roof. If a group of Boomers wanted to buy, renovate and then share an old rambling Victorian home there, city regulations would have to be changed.
Panelist Andrea Cohen , CEO of HouseWorks, runs a company dedicated to helping seniors live independently. She said Beacon Hill Village in Boston is a national model for people who want to "age in place." Andrea listed several things people say they want close to them in later life: friends, culture, green space and learning opportunities. She said they want to control their own destiny, have shopping and services within walking distance and have "lifestyle continuity."
Professor Charles Harris, a panelist who is about to turn 80, is exploring the creation of a new intergenerational "lifespan" residential community near Harvard Square. He thinks virtual communities that share services and link neighbors should include a Business Center, office space that would get people out of home offices and into shared space with career and social supports.
Behind all of the discussion last night, it seemed to me, was a real desire for community and the fear of aging in isolation. We Boomers are constantly being told that we are going to live longer lives than we might have imagined or planned for. But a long life alone doesn't sound very attractive. That's why we should all be thinking now about new, creative options for housing in our next stage of life.
posted at 11:27 AM
2 Comments:
I may be older, 58, but I won't retire for quite a while. I am very interested in the co-housing movement,but I don't know where to go to look for a community. The few communities I know that are small with a lively downtown are out of my price range. I'm in central NJ. Any ideas?
Dear Carolina: I feel the same about the intriguing co-housing movement and high price ranges in NJ. I have a little place there near the Ocean but am considering at my early retirement now to venture to a senior home in Florida for health (mental and physical- sunshine Vitamin D for bones and serotonin/melatonin happy days for mind); what about considering a move for you too? any of you fellow readers here feel same about relocating to a creative new environment and/or becoming a Senior Snowbird if keep smaller apartment in the northeast? love this site and all the feedback makes me glad to be alive and a young retiree at 50ish. rsvp if you can.
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