NEVADA CITY, CA – Charles Durrett, a leading architect in the field of sustainable community design and cohousing, will be hosting a public presentation on the future of this innovative housing concept, with a focus on the potential for a new neuro-inclusive cohousing community here in the Nevada City/Grass Valley area. The event is open to the public and will take place on Tuesday, August 6th from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. It will be held at the Madelyn Helling Library, 980 Helling Way, Nevada City, CA 95959.
This local cohousing group is forming with the goal of creating a welcoming, enriching, and inclusive community for folks with autism, Down syndrome, and other intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) with their families & friends right here in Grass Valley, Nevada County, CA. This community is open to all, including “neurotypical” families and individuals who are open to living beside their more challenged neighbors.
Cohousing communities are custom neighborhoods that combine full, yet efficiently, designed private homes with extensive community facilities. Shared spaces can include gardens, play areas, workshops, and a common house where residents can meet for common dinners, parties, meetings, and more. The future residents are involved from the beginning of the project, acting as co-designer and often co-developer, so the houses and the community ultimately reflect their real needs, priorities, and desires, not necessarily those of a typical developer. This results in some of the most socially and environmentally sustainable neighborhoods in North America to date. Living in community makes modern life more economical, more practical, more social, more convenient, more healthy, more safe, more interesting, and more fun.
Too many seniors need to move out of town when their house no longer fits them, too many kids who grew up in town can’t afford to move back when they are ready to start a family, and too many kids and adults with I/DD live an isolated life, mostly or even fully dependent on their parents and caregivers. This group will address head on the question of how to give children and adults with special needs the best possible environment, to ensure that they have a place to be supported, healthy, happy, and connected, as well as to provide parents and caregivers with a place that has the support and community they need. Cohousing communities address these problems in the healthiest and most proactive way possible.
The best way to meet your and your loved ones’ needs is to be part of the solution. Join us on August 6th to learn more and be part of this sustainable, neuro-inclusive community!
For those seriously interested in joining this effort, there will be a follow-up meeting on Saturday morning, August 10th to discuss next steps.
Charles Durrett, the Architect behind this project, just finished his latest book, “One Life, Live It!” about a cohousing community in Iceland (Sólheimar) where 45 people with autism and Down syndrome live with other neurotypical folks. He presented the book to the President of Iceland, Guðni Jóhannesson, this month in Iceland. The President invited Charles because he is attempting to build more supportive communities like the one in Iceland.
For more information, contact The Cohousing Company at (530) 265-9980, or contact us at (530) 202-7808 or email ndcoho@currently.com. Visit www.cohousingco.com/events for more information and to see the event link on Facebook.
About Charles Durrett
Charles Durrett, architect, author and advocate for affordable, socially responsible and sustainable design, has designed over 55 successful cohousing communities in California and North America including the one where he lives in Nevada City, CA. His work has been featured in Time magazine, New York Times, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, Architecture, Architectural Record, Wall Street Journal, the Economist, and a wide variety of other publications.