In this panel on cohousing communities, Peter Lazar of Blue Ridge Cohousing & Shadowlake Village [...]]]> On October 19, 2007, the organization hosted a one-day conference called Crafting Intentional Communities: Cooperating Living Along Life’s Journey. The event was designed to explore new housing and living innovations for seniors to live, grow and age in community.

In this panel on cohousing communities, Peter Lazar of Blue Ridge Cohousing & Shadowlake Village Cohousing and Janaka Casper of Community Housing Partners tell the story on the creation of three Virginia cohousing neighborhoods. They explore the topics of affordability, accessibility and sustainability in communities.

Peter spoke from the perspective of a current cohousing homeowner creating a new community with future neighbors. Janaka spoke from the perspective of the developer and promoter of affordable community-oriented housing. Janaka’s company was builder of Shadowlake Village Cohousing in Blacksburg, and ElderSpirit in Abingdon, and is currently developing a wheelchair-accessible cohousing community in Crozet, Virginia. A rezoning application for Blue Ridge Cohousing was recently approved by the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors.

In this “thinking outside the box” panel, three Charlottesville-area panelists share information and ideas [...]]]> On October 19, 2007, the organization hosted a one-day conference called Crafting Intentional Communities: Cooperating Living Along Life’s Journey. The event was designed to explore new housing and living innovations for seniors to live, grow and age in community.

In this “thinking outside the box” panel, three Charlottesville-area panelists share information and ideas about concepts and environmental factors (buildings, neighborhoods, community design, etc) that offer new and innovative ways to give individuals, families, neighborhoods, organizations, businesses, etc additional options to address needs and hopes for aging in community.

Moderated by Gordon Walker of JABA, the panel consists of: Frank Stoner, Vice President of Business Development, Stonehaus; John Quale, U.Va. Assistant Professor of Architecture, ecoMOD Project Director; Chris Murray, My Home for Life (JABA).

This is the fifth in a series of podcasts. Check the JABA category for the rest of the events. Also check out the conference’s website to learn more about the participants.

The first panel discussion of the day explored how many of the concepts discussed in [...]]]> On October 19, 2007, the organization hosted a one-day conference called Crafting Intentional Communities: Cooperating Living Along Life’s Journey. The event was designed to explore new housing and living innovations for seniors to live, grow and age in community.

The first panel discussion of the day explored how many of the concepts discussed in early sessions can be applied. How are these kinds of communities created? How can we learn from the experiences of others? How do different types of intentional communities function?

The panel is moderated by Dene Peterson of the ElderSpirit Community and panelists include: Marione Cobb of Twin Oaks; Monica Abbleby of the ElderSpirit Extension Project; Zev Paiss, co-founder of the Elder Cohousing Network; Marty Klaif of Shannon Farm; and Carolyn Ohle, Director of Innisfree Village.

This is the fourth in a series of podcasts. Check the JABA category for the rest of the events. Also check out the conference’s website to learn more about the participants.

Dene Peterson, founder and developer of the ElderSpirt Community, told the story of why she [...]]]> On October 19, 2007, the organization hosted a one-day conference called Crafting Intentional Communities: Cooperating Living Along Life’s Journey. The event was designed to explore new housing and living innovations for seniors to live, grow and age in community.

Dene Peterson, founder and developer of the ElderSpirt Community, told the story of why she got her friends together and built ElderSpirit Community — a unique and creative mixed-income community in Abingdon, Virginia. She also described how 37 people are living together after moving into ElderSpirit one year go.

Zev Paiss, co-founder of the Elder [...]]]> On October 19, 2007, the organization hosted a one-day conference called Crafting Intentional Communities: Cooperating Living Along Life’s Journey. The event was designed to explore new housing and living innovations for seniors to live, grow and age in community. Kay Jenkins of JABA introduced the event’s second speaker.

Zev Paiss, co-founder of the Elder Cohousing Network, explained the 10 principals of the Elder Cohousing concept. He also described the emerging trends he sees in the development of these aging-in-community neighborhoods in a variety of situations.

Paiss is a national spokesperson for the cohousing industry and has been interviewed by many of the country’s leading national print and broadcast media about the sustainability benefits of living in a community setting. He is also co-founder of Support Financial Services which provides early stage financing to cohousing groups. Support has helped 13 cohousing neighborhoods get built since 1993.

Zev produced the 22-minute introductory cohousing video “Neighborhoods for People.” Since 1997, Zev has resided in the Nomad Cohousing Community in Boulder.

The first speaker was Dr. Drew Leder, a professor of Western [...]]]> On October 19, 2007, the Jefferson Area Board for Aging hosted a one-day conference called Crafting Intentional Communities: Cooperative Living Along Life’s Journey. The event was designed to explore new housing and living innovations for seniors to live, grow and age in community.

The first speaker was Dr. Drew Leder, a professor of Western and Eastern Philosophy at Loyola College in Maryland. His latest, Sparks of the Divine: Finding Inspiration in Our Everyday World (Sorin/Ave Maria Press, 2004) explores the spiritual lessons hidden within the things of the natural and human-constructed world. Dr. Leder was stricken with back pain shortly before the conference, and he shares that experience with the audience as he discusses Aging and Spirituality, Challenges and Opportunities.

Dr. Leder spoke about our current models of “successful aging,” and a spiritually-informed alternative view drawn from wisdom traditions the world over. These traditions teach that the aging process can present unique graces and opportunities meant to bring the soul’s journey to fulfillment. Dr. Leder discussed four different archetypes of the spiritual elder, and their implications for our later-life communities.