Meet the Edgeryder: Simone!

Every week we Shine Some Light on fabulous Edgeryders to tell the world about their amazing projects and help connect them with good people and ideas to take them to the next level. Do you have a project or challenge you would like us to highlight this way? Put it on the Edgeryders map!

Simone is a pioneer in setting up infrastructures that improve quality of living/housing, active welfare, micro communities and also reduce living costs. In 2010 he (and other people) created the first official co-housing in Milan, a project that started much before with 12 families. The result? These people are now raising their kids together, share know how, experiences and time, they shop and do laundry together, share stuff and very importantly, they have fun! and everything on a completely free base, without ideological, political, religious bonding or duties. The micro community found the balance between independence and sharing. They are an example for all because they show us how we can live in togetherness in a world that’s becoming more and more atomized.

Simone’s challenge as future-builder is to find real estate projects that can be transformed into shared housing spaces and he is creating a dedicated social network to create micro communities and reduce development cost and risk. ( https://www.facebook.com/facciamocasa)

Funding lead projects is the major issue, so if you’re a a professional, a land/builiding owner, an institution representative or a resourceful networker, or simply someone interested in scaling up this initiative talk to Simone! Help him improve this model of co-projecting house by sharing your experience!  Post it as a comment below (you’ll need to be signed in) or email it to: edgeryders@gmail.com.

For more info about how Simone set up his first co-housing look here, his report already spurred conversation about how the rest of us Edgeryders could find such cosy living arrangements in the places we live or visit.

Say hello to Simone on his Edgeryders profile.

Solitude vs togetherness

I have no co-housing or real estate experience.

But I wave a warm hello to Simone!

I am glad to see that people like Simone have thoughts about living in togetherness (ie have an altruist approach to housing). There is an urgent need to propose new models that can get us out of the deep solitude in which we live now.

broken facebook link

The facebook link in the post is broken.

Andrewd I found the right link

More on Cohousing!

Milan’s first official cohousing neighborhood? Definitely exciting news! How many unofficial cohousing neighborhoods are there?

Coming from the US and working at the Cohousing Company in California, I find that the cohousing concept is usually unfamiliar territory for most people stateside. It is definitely an old idea, originating in 1960’s Denmark. Charles Durrett and Kathryn McCamant, the principals of our office, brought this concept to the US, even coining the term cohousing, almost 3 decades ago. Still, it’s a housing option that usually requires explanation, clarification, and destigmatization. It’s not a commune, personal space is still honored, and you get your very own private home still. What differentiates cohousing from typical housing options is that the private home is located within a physically and socially supportive neighborhood, which can facilitate sustainable habits for healthier people and a healthier earth.

Cohousing should be a more accessible option; it’s long overdue. For more info check out the third edition of Creating Cohousing: Building Sustainable Communities, by Chuck and Katie. Also, check out our website for info on past and current projects.

I look forward to seeing the Milan neighborhood come together.