Re: The Future of Track Housing?

["Claude Genest" <genest@together.net>]

Have you seen the Permaculture video "Global Gardner" ? There's a segment in
there about Davis Village Homes in Davis Ca. - a "susburb" designed along
Permaculture lines - fantastic. If you live anywhere near there, maybe you
could pop over for a visit,
Also, Crystal Waters has a little promotional video for their PC Village in
Queensland, Australia Which I got to visit this winter and loved).

Good luck.
----- Original Message -----
From: <Blueyedlex@cs.com>
To: permaculture <permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2000 1:06 AM
Subject: The Future of Track Housing?


> Every month I seem to see a new home development spring up atop what was
once
> productive farmland.  The Central Valley of California is growing quite
> rapidly, but I know we are not alone.  It saddens me to know that these
> developments are taking over many parts of the country.  They are simply
> ridiculous, and I don't mind sounding fanatical by saying that they should
be
> made illegal.  Anything that takes up that much space and monopolizes the
> land the way these unattractive, unimaginative, uniform homes do, should
be
> put to an end.  They are a complete waste.  An entire community built in a
> matter of months, by people who will not even live there, is bound to fall
> apart, and quickly.  They encourage newness, discourage recycling, and
make
> small towns large with their "commuter friendliness."
> What is even more sad than the fact that someone wants to build these
things,
> is that people flock to buy them.  So it goes without saying that a change
> must be made in the industry of track housing.  It is a change that will
be
> scoffed at in the beginning, but so is every new idea.  I know that there
are
> many an adventurous builder who has constructed an efficient and earth
> friendly home in order to achieve independence and a sense of helping the
> earth.  My question is, why can't this type of building be done for the
> masses?  I have some ideas about new communities, but as I am new to the
> study of permaculture and sustainable living, my list is not very long.
> Please send any additions to this list, or criticisms for that matter, as
I
> am planning on spending much time developing this plan.
>
> IDEAS FOR A NEW WAY TO LIVE
>
> THE HOUSES: straw bale, made of recycled material, underground houses,
living
> roofs, built for easy indoor and outdoor gardening, composting toilets,
rain
> catchers, built in recycling bins, energy efficient mechanisms, etc.
> THE COMMUNITY:  Communal field, Community power source (windmills,
> watermills, etc.), community run business (fruit stand), community
recycling
> center, etc.
>
> This kind of idea takes a lot of commitment from it's inhabitants, I'm not
> even sure I would be up to the dependency it would create between
neighbors
> with so much sharing.  The main reason I am proposing such a seemingly far
> fetched idea is because I am tired of the same old thing creating the same
> old waste.   Even if these communities don't completely knock out track
> housing, I would hope that a few positioned in the right places, would
make
> people notice that something is being done, and then wonder why people
feel
> the need to do it.  I know one might argue that you can't change the
world,
> but I hope that you can at least make people think.
>
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