At first blush David Hornick appears to be the most unqualified candidate to be spear-heading a housing development in the state of Oaxaca, one of the southernmost and poorest states in Mexico; His Spanish is sparse to be generous, until earlier this Middle-class Jewish existence (never ventured to this part of the country, he & # 39; s never designed or built a home, and he 's lived virtually all his life in Schenectady, New York, leading a more or less typical, middle-class Jewish existence .
"One thing about me," he explained on his first trip to Oaxaca, "is that once I decide to do something, you know it 's already been thoroughly considered - and then there & # 39; s no stopping me.
He and wife Roberta, his partner in the medical practice, have learned that where and how we traditionally live is rarely compelling to graceful and easy aging from a position of economic security.
The answer, as I and # 39; ve come to conclude over the thesues of tutelage from Hornick, at least for creating a blueprint for the solution, is to import some of the characteristics of collaborative housing (cohousing) and as many key elements as practicable of universal design, into a region of the world where the concerns can be best addressed - Oaxaca ... for starters. And that & # 39; s exactly what Hornick & # 39; s done.
Collaborative housing
While the conceptualized in Denmark, since early 1980s it has been promoted in the US, and so on communities using the basic concepts such as Canada, France, Germany and New Zealand.
Each community includes a larger building facility, a "common house," constituting the social center of the complex where the complex can be meet, dine, attend to activities which traditionally are not required on a daily basis (ie laundry), and even host guests in small apartments. The latter two points have implications in terms of minimizing overall cost for each resident, since space not normally occupied on a daily basis is omitted from individual homes.
Correspondingly, substantive, in the stages of models residents actively participate in the design of their own neighborhood, in this case propositional members are spared that effort - Hornick has devoted his entire adult life to assessing the needs of Americans as their stages in life change. progress for the Oaxaca project has already been advanced, and addressing those interested in pursuing a lifestyle change in the foreseeable future. It is still photographs of the two proposed tracts of land, site plans and architectural drawings of the two models of home.
Hornick preferences to avoid commonly used terms such as intentional or collaborative housing, as well as cohousing, in favor of "neighborhoods" and "communities." The former import the idea of consensus decision-making, which he does not believe is This expresses his approach is realistic and his model is feasible. It is workable. He does envision, however, a "resident council" (possibly similar to to condominium "# board of directors) to assist with suggestions relating to the neighborhood. contribution require, he stresses, participants' affirmability, respect basic goals: energy for the environment; the utilization of locally produced "green" materials (in construction and otherwise); affordability; and universal design which enables people of all ages to grow and mature well.
Universal design
It is much more that associated with the creation of products (including landscapes) and environments (including landscapes) which is usable by all people, to the greatest possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. with exclusively addressing the elderly and infirmed. that in the context of the Oaxaca project the concept will be extremely attractive to those in their fifties and older, many winding down their careers and embarking upon a new phase of life, "retirement." But the project & # 39; s use of universal design addresses more - compatibility with a natural progression of functional changes throughout the lifespan, according to Hornick.
So how does UD address all ages and levels of capability, and then then make the project attractive to families at every life stage? Hornick explains:
"We can not reach reach most lightswitch until we are about four years old, long after we can stand and walk., Then begins to decline.
"Light switches can be lowered to three feet to be reachable by children as well as people in wheelchairs with limited shoulder mobility. Open room door with a free elbow. -Over. And there are literally a hundred or more other alternative designs and products available in the marketplace which can be considered, which do not detract from either "functionality" or aesthetics of the home. "
Hornick has been consulted on seniors "The Oaxaca project enables participants to participate in the adaptive design prototypes.
Ve compelled to live We have a lot of individuals and couples in North America are becoming disillusioned with the work-until-you-drop mentality, the less-than-optimum environments in which they are 'they compelled to live and raise their families, increasing inaccessibility to basic goods and services including healthcare, and much more recently both insecurity in the workplace and shrinking nest eggs.
The Oaxaca blueprint
Based upon Hornick 's due diligence, Oaxaca proved to be a potentially attractive location to develop a prototype for what he initially labeled, when he first contacted me for advice in November, 2008, a "retirement community." That initial characterization was probably meant to pique my initial interest. I fell for it, and have been enthralled ever since, hosting David at our home, introducing him to a number of professionals he could potentially tap to advance the project, and advising him about prospective plots of land.
Latin American locations have distinct advantages over Canadian and American prospective project sites. Oxaca was selected as language for the return visits, cultural familiarity, ease of access for friends and family as well Because of its own unique set of pluses:
1) Access via ground transportation is consistently being improved and upgraded through Mexico 's system of toll roads, already extending from various locations along the US border; and via more convenient flight paths (such as being able to avoid Mexico City by using Continental & # 39; s non-stop service from Houston, and Mexicana & # 39; s from Los Angeles);
2) Its highly agreeable climate, 12 months a year, attractive both on an individual personal level and for providing solar energy;
3) Proximity to Pacific Coast beach destinations such as Puerto Escondido and Huatulco;
4) A modest cost of living (ie labor, public transportation, entertainment, food and taxes) relative to the US or Canada, and even to the northern half of the country;
5) Availability of reasonably priced tracts of land, fertile enough and with sufficient rain and ground water to support partial self-savings in terms of agricultural production;
6) A number of prospective development locations from which to choose, no more than a half hour Oaxaca, assuring proxies to restaurants and cafés, galleries, museums and other cultural institutions, as well as health care professionals and hospital facilities;
7) Its burgeoning expat community (including programs facilitated through the English language Oaxaca Lending Library) together with support from the Canadian and American consulates;
8) Local populations which welcome non-Mexicans, motivated by both a recognition that translating into more work and higher wages for a reliably depressed economy, and an innate desire to embrace foreigners with open arms;
9) An understanding on the part of the professionals, trades and business people, and governance, of what the project hopes to achieve, and the potential for the growth of the same in other parts of the state.
Each of the two "eco village" sites identified on Hornick & # 39; s website is equally attractive, meets all criteria, and easily facilitates advancing the set of common goals. The San Juan del Estado development consists of 25 acres and is about 30 minutes from downtown Oaxaca, and San Lorenzo Cacaotepec sits on 75 minutes from the city. Each is about 10 minutes from the town of Etla, known for its bustling Wednesday market and production of dairy products, in particular the well-known Oaxacan cheeses (queso, and the more popular "string cheese," known as quesillo).
Each of the two developments will contain 30 detached homes of about 1,000 square feet, the common house, sheltered walkways, green and garden areas, and its own sources of water and energy as well as waste-disposal facility, theby offer for independence from the vagaries of municipal, state and federal government utilities.
Interior temperature will be kept comfortable all year round by passive solar heating and we have a lot of more than 300 sunny days per year, the communities will be. cooling techniques - such as construction walls of locally mined stone (known as "cantera"), clay brick or adobe, depending on relative direction of the sun and prevailing winds.
Hornick plans to develop relationships with residents of nearby towns and villages who are interested in employment as housekeepers, gardeners and personal care aides. In addition, there & # 39; sa well entrenched practice in the state of Oaxaca with expats engage locales in an intercambio language arrangement, wheree a couple of hours a week informal meetings are held to help Oaxacans with their English and expats with their Spanish.
Hornick assures: "... both [locations] "Naturally, in today & # 2" Naturally, in today & # 39; & # 39; excited. 39; s technological world he does not see distance, political boundaries, or differences in language and other aspects of culture, as impediments. "Of course there are challenges, but with perseverance they are readily overcome," he continues. "Look at where "Ideed, Hornick with his team of professionals (including Prometeo Sánchez Islas, Dean of the School of Architecture at a Oaxacan university) continue to work diligently on the project.
While visiting Oaxaca Hornick paid particular attention to the supermarket (which attracted the attention of store management). Medical insurance and "I'm trying to come. I'm trying to come. I'm trying to come. I'm trying to come. "with one thing is for sure - cost of living should be less than 50% of what most most of them is survive on social security alone. live on in the US or Canada.
The horizon
Hornick plans to begin pre-selling homes at summer & # 39; s end or maybe into autumn, at a small discount for those electing to participate early on in the project, as a kind of kick-start to development. most on his team, the motivation is pure altruism, having identified a sense of urgency on the part of many American, Canadians, and even Mexicans, and being in the enviable position of being able to address it in this fashion, without profit motive.
In a sense he & # 39; sa pioneer, having respectful, easier and self-fulfilling life for others in a new environment, virgin land to continue with the metaphor. He plans to lay down roots in Oaxaca, and carry on a medical practice, encouraging others of similar means to follow suit.
After all, investing. It is clearly different from those who have had the privilege and the instinct to years something better after hundreds of years ago in opening up the American frontiers. Today there & # 39; s more of a necessity, yet with virtually no gamble involved. between $ 100,000 and $ 150,000 to have a quality constructed new home, in a safe, secure southern climate, while at the same time evening expenses through supporting a sustainable living environment, should not be too difficult a lifestyle decision to make - especially for those who have already been contemplating change.
