This is not my beautiful house : cohousing as an alternative American Dream

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1991.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Three Stars, C. Mark (Cameron Mark)
Other Authors: Fernando Domeyko.
Format: Thesis
Language:eng
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70190
_version_ 1826205934522728448
author Three Stars, C. Mark (Cameron Mark)
author2 Fernando Domeyko.
author_facet Fernando Domeyko.
Three Stars, C. Mark (Cameron Mark)
author_sort Three Stars, C. Mark (Cameron Mark)
collection MIT
description Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1991.
first_indexed 2024-09-23T13:21:22Z
format Thesis
id mit-1721.1/70190
institution Massachusetts Institute of Technology
language eng
last_indexed 2024-09-23T13:21:22Z
publishDate 2012
publisher Massachusetts Institute of Technology
record_format dspace
spelling mit-1721.1/701902019-04-10T11:02:11Z This is not my beautiful house : cohousing as an alternative American Dream Cohousing as an alternative American Dream Three Stars, C. Mark (Cameron Mark) Fernando Domeyko. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Architecture. Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1991. Includes bibliographical references (p. 99). This work addresses my hopes and concerns about what a community could be. Somerville housing is made up largely of rental properties. As in any rental housing endeavor the occupants consider themselves lucky if the monthly rent is reasonable and the property is well cared for. They arc considered extremely lucky if their neighbors arc amiable and they arc able to establish a community of friends in the neighborhood. Currently there is little one can do to control rent or improve the prospects of becoming a homeowner, let alone location of friends or the coalescing of a community. In the past ten to fifteen years the word "cohousing" has been used to describe a strategy that attempts to redress the problems of rising housing costs, work vs. family time, and community isolation. This idea although it has gained strength in Denmark is by no means new. Old models such as the Kibbutz aDd Pueblo Indian dwellings have long made use of the collective eHorts of the community to liberate the time and energy of the individual. The challenge for cohousing in the United States is to address longstanding cultural and societal expectations of the autonomous single-family home. Although many people may yearn for the familiarity that a strong community or neighborhood brings this should in no way challenge the privacy of the home. Melding this idea of autonomy with the making of a community is at once paradoxical yet at the very center of what cohousing could be in the United States. This thesis is an exploration of what a cohousing/cooperative living community could be in an urban environment. I &m also attempting to define the role of an autonomous housing type in a communal setting, and in doing this redress the expectations of owning a single-family home. This notion of autonomy also extends to the layers between a communal entity and the surrounding neighborhood. by C. Mark Three Stars. M.Arch. 2012-04-26T18:16:35Z 2012-04-26T18:16:35Z 1991 1991 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70190 24408292 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 101 p. application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Architecture.
Three Stars, C. Mark (Cameron Mark)
This is not my beautiful house : cohousing as an alternative American Dream
title This is not my beautiful house : cohousing as an alternative American Dream
title_full This is not my beautiful house : cohousing as an alternative American Dream
title_fullStr This is not my beautiful house : cohousing as an alternative American Dream
title_full_unstemmed This is not my beautiful house : cohousing as an alternative American Dream
title_short This is not my beautiful house : cohousing as an alternative American Dream
title_sort this is not my beautiful house cohousing as an alternative american dream
topic Architecture.
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/70190
work_keys_str_mv AT threestarscmarkcameronmark thisisnotmybeautifulhousecohousingasanalternativeamericandream
AT threestarscmarkcameronmark cohousingasanalternativeamericandream