Lindsay E.

East Lake Commons Field Trip

Before visiting East Lake Commons I was unsure what to expect. I originally thought that we were making a trip to a Retirement home. However, I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived to this community. Visiting this community definitely opened up my eyes to what a community that is much more flexible to people’s needs can look like. It was awesome to see so many kids playing in the streets together during the middle of the day. I could really tell that everyone in the community supported one another deeply.

My favorite thing about this community was that it was so accessible. I thought it was awesome that most of the community could be easily accessed by wheel chair. Many things that I may not have thought about before, such as doorway size, were accessible and thought out in this community. The pathways were wide for safety reasons and paved so that when chairs could easily access the complex.

As I mentioned there was a lot of activity in the middle of the day within this community. Normally you expect to only see people early in the morning, or in the evening. But within this community there was not a single time in which I did not see anyone from the community. The kids were encouraged to play together on the pathways within the community. Our tour guide mentioned that some of the homes taught the community kids within their homes each day. They have an incredible support system within this community.

While on our tour we went inside of two homes. Both offered a nice level of comfort to all of the members in our group because they had the ability to enjoy things that most people often take for granted. The homes were easily accessible from the front of the house, the hallways and rooms were wide enough for a wheelchair to maneuver through, and the bathrooms were large enough to be wheelchair accessible. By the builders making these small adjustments they were able to not be limited as to where they could go within the community. These modifications provided large levels of comfort to our entire group.

One thing that I did not love about this community was that there was a small level of control. The houses were built very close to one another and had very little personal yard space. While I did not like this element of the community, they allowed for the families to have more control by offering personal plots in the large, organic garden in which each family could have and maintain their own plot of land. Personally, I want to have my own yard to plant flowers, and mow, and to allow my kids to play there. However, I love how the community saw the need for control over personal space and offered personal garden plots to each family if they so desired one.

I personally felt that the area where the houses are built was a little bit crowded. Although I felt that the housing area was a little bit crowded, that was the idea of the community. They were striving to create a closely knit community that could work together and support one another almost like a large family unit. I am more of an introvert and therefore like having alone time. It seemed that within this community there would always be people around, or even stopping by. I think this is a great idea because the level of safety within your community is increased and you create a large family unit.

I think that this community creates an environment that has a high level of sociality. Because everything within this community is so close together it naturally facilitates social interaction. The closeness of the homes allows you to know your neighbors very well and virtually always have someone around incase you need assistance. One thing that I found remarkable was that when our tour guide was very sick she left her door open. This allowed the members in her community to support her and help bring her to healing. She said that community members would bring in meals, or just simply check in on her. She said that she never once felt unsafe or worried about what may happen, or who may come into her home. This was what I thought was completely remarkable about this community.

After reflecting on my experience within this community I can offer a positive perspective to privacy. Although the homes may be close together and all of the neighbors are very friendly and involved in one another’s lives, the community is very private. It is nestled into a set of woods within Decatur, behind a gated entrance. The location of this community allows you to forget that you live within the busy city because you are surrounded by trees on each side of the property and a large, organic garden at the rear of the property.

As we wandered through the community there seemed to be several different meanings that were held. There were several different cultures represented among the residents, such as Buddhism and Hinduism. There was also a sense that this community stood for one another. It was clear that there was a high sense of support and love for one another. The location was very beautiful, I loved how we were within the city of Decatur, yet you forgot where you were once you stepped inside the community.