Physical Environment

            I went on the field trip to the East Lake Commons which is a cohousing community in the Atlanta area. I had never heard of a cohousing community before, so the whole experience was new to me. Our tour guide led us through the entire community and you could see her love for the community and the meaning that the community brought to her and her personal life. She was one of the ones who started the community and her zeal about where she was.          

            From the first moment arriving at the housing community, you could see the amount of control the place had by keeping a gated community and allowing the neighbors to be on a level of sociality with each other that brought about a sense of being safe with each other. The neighbors all care about each other and do things for each other like a real community. The community was set up in such a way that was very accessible throughout the neighborhood and it was good about letting the kids have a play area and being in the center of the area. A lot of the kids were homeschooled so they all got to grow up with other kids their age and gain new friends that way. The activity among the community was positive where people get together and learn more about each other and help through things.  As well as there being ample opportunities for people to be around each other and the community being close-knit, there are those families who like to keep their privacy. The houses are built like townhomes and that is what makes everyone seem close, but not everyone shares that type of openness with others but yet they like to feel safe in a community.

            The community understood the need for adapting to other’s needs in the neighborhood and built homes that could be friendly to those who are in wheelchairs or in need for other services. The doors were widened for the use of wheelchairs. Our tour guide was one of those who were in a wheelchair and she could feel the crowding spaces that were not meant for people with her needs. The homes sometimes had stairs leading to their doorways and really narrow doors as their front doors and it frustrated her that she could not go visit these friends. However, with some of the homes, she could easily fit through the doors and have the space to visit her neighbors and other people around.

            This field trip was extremely important for me to go on because of the fact that I am unaware of the limitations that people have to go through on a daily basis. I do not have to worry about doors being widened or there being stairs or even living in a place where I need the absolute max of security because it’s hard for me to get from here to there.  I really appreciated the willingness that our tour guide had to open us up to her world and her home to see the struggles that she has to face and to also see the love that she has for the community she is in and loves.