User:Karah26/sandbox

this is my sandbox, where I will learn to navigate Wikipedia.

Notes on Community Development Article

While the Community Development article had a lot of pertinent and informative information, I found it hard to read in a chronological manner. The information is cited well and I did not find any instances of paraphrasing. The language used is neutral, which gives the authors credibility. One section that could use narrowing and improvement is the "Different Approaches" section, in that it is quite lengthy and hard to follow. Overall I feel that the article was informative, but like everything, there is always room for improvement!

Article Critique

For this critique, I have looked at the Rural Community Development article.

1. is each fact referenced?
   1. No, none of the information presented in this article is cited.
2. Is all of the information relevant?
   1. The information is relevant but it could be expanded and needs more sections.
3. Is the article neutral or biased?
   1. While the article is not extremely biased, it is apparent what the editor's view points are. Some claims made are subjective and need to be less biased.
4. Are some view points under/over represented?
   1. There are many viewpoints that are not included, and this article would benefit from being more specific.
5. Do citation links work?
   1. No, not all of the citation links work. The ones that do work direct the reader to obscure pages with not a lot of information.
6. What sections differ from the Community Development Article?
   1. The Community Development page includes the sections: Overview, Definitions, Different Approaches, and History. The Rural Community Development article includes only two sections: United Kingdom and United States.

Plans For Drafting Article

For my article, I have chosen to work on improving the stub focused on Muir Commons. So far, this page only has one sentence about the cohousing development in Davis. I have found a variety of peer-reviewed articles to cite information from so that I can add more content on why Muir Commons is significant, its history, and more background on how it is set up.

Muir Commons

Muir Commons is a cohousing development located in Davis, California. Completed in 1991, Muir Commons was designed by McCamant & Durrett Architects and is known for being the first new-construction cohousing development in the United States. Opposed to many traditional neighborhoods, Muir Commons was created and maintained around the premise of fostering a sense of community between its residents. While each family or individual lives in a privately-owned residence, many other features of the community are shared, including a central communal building, an orchard, gardens, yards, workshops, and even the decision-making process.

Design History

As one of the original cohousing developments in the United States, the inspiration for the layout and framework of Muir Commons came primarily from European models of cohousing communities. These models focused on creating an atmosphere for increased social interaction and included aspects such as private homes, common areas, internal methods of management, and shared community objectives. Although the individual residence dwellings are privately owned, common areas within the neighborhood are owned and maintained equally by all residents.

The process of designing and implementing Muir Commons was strongly influenced by considerations of future residents, with the help and guidance of McCamant & Durrett Architects. Local workshops were conducted within the community to assess needs, which covered the "design, development, group, and financial processes". One resident-suggested outcome from this process included the decision to make all units wheelchair accessible. Due to limited funds and the intention for most of the homes to be considered affordable, the design and development process was heavily focused on communal features as opposed to individual dwellings. The neighborhood was completed in one phase, and in the summer of 1991 the first residents moved in.

Characteristics

Design Framework

In order to foster a community-oriented living environment, all homes face towards the interior of the property and are congregated around a central walking path. All parking for the neighborhood is located along the periphery of the community as to only allow bicycles and foot traffic within the living environment. According to McCamant & Durrett Architects, the reason for this is to enable more face-to-face interaction and create a safe environment for children.

Neighborhood Features

A central component of Muir Commons is a community building that contains a kitchen, laundry room, office, gym, guest rooms, and a large room for gathering. In addition to this, there is a garage studio available to all residents that provides tools for automobile and home maintenance. Muir Commons also includes a variety of outdoor community spaces, such as a playground, an orchard, gardens, and lawns.

As a cohousing development, the upkeep of the community and property relies on continued collaboration between residents. All residents are expected to contribute to the maintenance of the shared areas, as well as help cook a meal once a month for the rest of the community. In addition to this, all decisions that affect the entire community are made by consensus.