East Lake Commons by Avanette M.

            On October 1, 2013 we visited East Lake Commons for a guided tour led by one of the residents of the community, Ms. Eleanor Smith.  She has been in a wheelchair since she was a child and was very familiar with the challenges that came with being mobility impaired. We learned that East Lake Commons is a cohousing community.  This means that the residents were active in the planning and are active in the daily operation of the community.  In planning the community, Ms. Eleanor wanted to make sure that each residence was “visitable” by people with mobility challenges.  Ms. Eleanor and others made sure that each home would have at least one stepless entry and one bathroom on the main floor with a door wide enough for a wheelchair to fit through.  Designing the community this way has made it more welcoming to people of various age groups and challenges.  The following paragraphs will evaluate East Lake Commons based on some of the key concepts for understanding physical environment-behavior relationships (Hutchison, 2011).

            Accessibility is the first concept that comes to mind after a tour of East Lake Commons.  The sidewalks throughout the community are wide enough for wheelchairs to navigate with ease.  With each home having a stepless entry and wide doors, it is easier to welcome visitors who are in a wheelchair.  Ms. Eleanor lives in one of the three flat homes in the community and the home had more than enough space for her to move around without bumping into anything.

            Activity is the next concept.  Because the community is accessible, all residents are able to be actively involved in their community.  East Lake Commons promotes activity by giving residents the ability to move around freely in the neighborhood and participate in events.  They also promote activity by having community events.  The residents are also responsible for taking care of the common grounds of the community.

            East Lake Commons also promotes adaptability.  Ms. Eleanor strongly believes that all homes should be built to accommodate all types of abilities, instead of going back and fixing a home to accommodate mobility challenged persons.  In this community, if someone who is not mobility challenged happens to go through a surgery or is recovering from an injury, they will have no problem getting around in their home and accessing the accommodations they had before

East Lake Commons promotes comfort.  As mentioned before, Ms. Eleanor’s home was spacious and presented no challenges to her daily living activities.  She is able to have visitors and be a visitor at her neighbors’ homes. 

At East Lake Commons residents are able to have control of their environment.  They do not have to feel restricted, limited, or confined as they would under the social model of disability.  The residents who helped plan the community had a good sense of control because they were able to influence major decisions about the structure of the community.

East Lake Commons has significant meaning to its residents.  It holds meaning to them because of the concept it was based upon.  Many residents have invested in the purchase of a home in the community and are raising children there.  The community has even more meaning because they actually get to know their neighbors by name and interact with each other continually.

Although East Lake Commons is a community that promotes interaction, residents can still have privacy when they choose to.  The residents’ homes are their individual spaces and they can have guests if they choose to do so.  Privacy is highly respected, but you definitely will not be a hermit while living here.

The last but foremost concept that East Lake Commons promotes is sociality.  There is a common house where residents may gather for special events or to have meals together.  There is also a community garden that the residents work in and benefit from.  In addition to that there are open spaces throughout the community that promote socializing.  The sidewalks wind through the community in front of residents’ front doors, so it is hard to walk through without seeing at least some of your neighbors.

Overall, East Lake Commons is a beautiful and family friendly community.  We were informed by Ms. Eleanor that the residents range in age from infant to late eighties.  This is a result of the cohousing concept.  This community is welcoming and user friendly to every age group and ability.  The best thing about being a close-knit community is that a family, from the youngest to the eldest, will have help from their neighbors when they need it.  This is how East Lake Commons has become a thriving diverse community.