Chapter 34 prompt

I think that ideal affordable housing should not only reflect the income of the community or area that it is in - but also the values of the community. Social status and how much money people have (or like to pretend they have) can be observed easily through the architecture of a neighborhood and how well the buildings, homes and streets are taken care of as a result. In neighborhoods that are poor and run down with dilapidated buildings and high crime rates, I feel the it is often an excuse to say that the neighborhood is in such a state because no work is available. I feel it is because the community's values are at risk, lacking integrity and respect for a better environment. This is not to be confused with the highly passionate energy of living in a rough, poor and broken down neighborhood with project housing and the like. There is a culture all it's own reflected in places like Oakland, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Detroit. Values are a reflection of culture, and there is a very fine line between the two. Though a city's culture may be that of grit and harder living, it doesn't mean their housing should be the same. Affordable housing can be available to anyone. In neighborhoods where there is no industry or work, to me this means either no one should live there or the community should be self sustainable somehow, for example they could cooperatively own and operate a farm or garden and sell the produce to make money. If there is no land available for this,a rooftop garden, terrace garden, or container garden could suffice. Places like Los Angeles and New York have several urban gardening movements that fund social programs that have the potential to create affordable housing, higher paying jobs and keep the economy local and accessible. Facilities and services should be the same as any other living situation in which one could thrive. Healthcare, groceries, social programs, good schools, and public transportation should all be equally accessible no matter where you live. Affordable housing can be in the form of several apartments lined up in a row, or little houses each to their own facing into a court yard together, or a city block full of different buildings. It doesn't matter so long as it's affordable to the people that live in the community and it can be equally attainable for everyone. 

A local example of low income cooperative housing is the East Blair Co-op. This co-op is owned by the people that live there. They have a garden, a sauna, a community room with laundry, and each resident has their own private unit. Some families have full time jobs and other families are students. The families that live there are low income families and they are located in one of the most desirable parts of town, the houses they live in are LEED certified (Green Building Council, LEED - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the inhabitants have access to everything downtown and it's close to the river and the bike paths. Cooperative living requires it's inhabitants to be an active member of their community. This includes meetings and open discussions with fellow neighbors/members concerning everything that involves the community. Meetings usually involve issues like rent, projects, future or current members and the general well being of the community. Through cooperative living occupants have power over their own living situation and making housing affordable is something they can have control over. I think that affordable housing is best attainable through a cooperative situation.