Cohousing, Environmental Justice, and Urban Sustainability

Abstract

Several researchers hold that the cohousing movement supports sustainability, but it remains economically restrictive. This condition challenges cohousing's status as sustainable, considering that its financially exclusive nature fails to meaningfully address sustainability's social dimension. Yet, it is doubtful that the cohousing movement set out to create this outcome. When we examine the historical conditions that pertain to multifamily housing, we discover a long-standing pattern of discrimination. For today's cohousing communities, we see that they are dealing with the residual effects of such prejudicial practices. Most of the unfair treatment comes from zoning and lending, but we also see that cohousing has internal challenges that complicate matters. Through employing an environmental justice framework, however, we can parse kinds of responsibility. If planners, financiers, and cohousing communities can remove these barriers, then cohousing can bolster efforts in urban sustainability.

Department(s)

Arts, Languages, and Philosophy

Comments

Summer 2018

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0163-4275; 2153-7895

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2018 Environmental Philosophy Inc, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jun 2018

Link to Full Text

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