This week’s Bottom-Up Revolution podcast guest is Lisa Leslie, who helped lead an effort to create a cohousing community with 11 families in Silverton, Oregon. Lisa and her husband went from living with two other families (including Strong Towns Content Manager, John Pattison’s family) in a cooperative house, to dreaming of building a full-fledged cohousing community, to seeing that dream come to fruition this past year.
Cohousing is a term that really applies to the way most humans live around the world today and throughout history: it’s living with extended family and friends in close proximity, rather than having individuals and single households all occupying private, separate dwelling places. In Lisa’s case, the cohousing community she helped found, Evans Oaks, is made up of several small homes, clustered together, with lots of shared space and a commitment to doing life together. This isn’t some socialist commune, it’s folks who want to live close to their neighbors, share some duties and expenses, and have a support system around them.
We feature Lisa’s story today because it’s a wonderful example of someone envisioning a strong community and incrementally building it with her neighbors. The lessons she shares today—about patience and dedication and committing to deep engagement with one’s community—bear relevance even beyond a particular living situation. We hope it provides a fresh way to think about how we choose to live, no matter who your household or housemates are.
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Gregg Lombardi: Collaborating for Neighborhood Revitalization
Andrea Marr: An Interdisciplinary, Incremental Leader
Billy Altom: Helping Rural Residents with Disabilities to Thrive
Kirk Seyfert: Increasing Bike Access for All
Beth Hoffman: Getting Real about the Cost and Value of Farming
Ashley Salvador: Building Gentle Density and a Grassroots Campaign for City Council
Mason Thompson: Saying Yes to Your City
Tim Wright: Joining with Neighbors and Taking Action
Rebecca Undem: Helping Small Towns and Their People Thrive
Rob Green: A Strong Towns Advocate and Mayor
Sarah Davis: Data-Driven, Community-Centered Planning
Austin Taylor: Using Tactical Urbanism to Make Your Town Stronger
Chuck Marohn: Taking a Strong Towns Approach to Transportation
Cate Ryba: Connecting Neighbors and Harnessing the Power of Fun
Tiffany Owens: Paying Attention to Your City
Thomas Dougherty: Turning Alleys into Productive Space
Wendy Streit: Using Public Art to Help Small Businesses
Mary Jones: Taking Matters Into Her Own Hands to #SlowTheCars
Jenifer Acosta: Giving New Life to Historic Buildings and Neighborhoods
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