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An ecovillage strives for sustainability.
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Urban Ecovillage An urban ecovillage is a housing development which strives for sustainability in design and cooperation among residents. It is comprised of cohousing-like communities where residents share common spaces and common land while retaining their privacy with individual home ownership. The site design resembles a village green. Cohousing started in Denmark in 1969 when a group of practical-thinking professionals started an intentional community to make life in general and child rearing in particular, easier. Literally hundreds of cohousing variations have been completed in Europe since that time. Living in cohousing is like sharing a large extended family without loosing the privacy of your own home or the bonds of your nuclear family. When people care for, and are cared for, by their friends and neighbors, a safety factor arises that can not be assured by modern civilization in any other way. An ecovillage takes cohousing a step forward by joining several communities to provide an economy of scale in construction and amenities. It also assures a large degree of sustainability by the use of passive solar designs, clustered homes and parking, and energy-efficient building techniques and materials. Anderson-Sargent Custom Builder. L. P., established a new standard for sustainable construction for Texas and the nation. Now it also leads this state in the realm of ecovillages and cohousing communities. |
