Village Homes On Tuesday the 17th we took the drive to Davis from the Bay, a drive we had done many times before. We went straight to meet with a woman in the community of Village Homes named Lynn. Designed in the 1970s, the houses are aligned in a design that discourages auto traffic- the streets are small (which has the added benefit of less heat radiating off of the black asphalt making the area way cooler than the rest of Davis), and the houses are oriented so the back doors face the street and the front doors open up to lush fruit trees and pathways to their neighbors houses. She invited us inside and explained her passive solar home. The passive solar pairs beautifully with the upright drainage pipes she has as a central wall in her home. The pipes are filled with water, and to act as both cooling and heating for the house due to radiative heat from the sun. We traveled around the premises picking all sorts of delicious food, from jujubes to Asian pears. Together we cooked a fresh, local, organic meal in her home, helping her crack open nuts from the area and snacking on dried peaches as we talked about our journey and her community. Village Homes was calming and inspiring; Lynn told us stories of neighbors banding together in times of stress because of the connections they make in this special place. It was beautiful and encouraging to see a community that was designed with intention for the earth and social engineering. |
Dos Pinos Housing Cooperative
Later on that day, we visited three lovely women in the oldest housing cooperative in Davis, Dos Pinos. It is a unique place because it is a limited equity cooperative, meaning the “rent” cannot be raised above a certain level. The women we spoke to explained their desire to live in a place where they did not have to worry about infrastructure complications since the corporation that manages their cooperative takes care of maintenance. For these reasons, it challenged the way we traditionally think of housing cooperatives, since it is a cooperative on paper only and there are no social obligations for community dinners, chores, or events. However, even though this community may not be as resilient to issues of climate change, environmental degradation, and social collapse, their structure inherently protects them from economic challenges, which we found very intriguing. Perhaps this model, coupled with environmental and social considerations like we see in many other cooperatives, is the recipe for a resilient community.
The Domes- Student Housing Cooperative The following day we visited a student housing cooperative right next to campus called the Domes. Built in the 70s, their structure is unsurprising based on their name (note round walls). We were given a tour by of new friend Lucas, a 3rd year at Davis who has lived in the Domes since he was a freshman. The property, which has chickens, gardens, bee hives, and lot of open space, is home to many dome-home structure, some of which are currently being renovated (like the dome in the photo). All residents must be students and everything is cooperatively run with weekly meetings and group work sessions. This community is a wonderful resource for others wishing to learn about living with a low environmental impact or in a cooperative, and we would argue brings lots of happiness to the surrounding community because of the love they have for each other and the earth. |
We learned a lot in Davis and are grateful for our time there. Our biggest takeaway lesson: it seems very difficult to form a totally resilient, happily functioning community. However, the effort is well worth it.