Block Planning and East Blair Housing Co-op
East Blair Housing Co-op, Eugene
The co-op dates back to 1982. It's a great story how the co-op came together. It was not easy but the results are significant as many people have called East Blair home over the years, right up to the present. The co-op owns about 8 properties. It is oriented towards people with modest income.
East Blair is not a Block Plan but the properties are managed in a way that simulates a block plan. Just as a group of neighbors might agree to aspects of block planning, East Blair can manage the use of the properties it controls in a way that benefits the residents of the co-op. Residents in the townhouses can access space for gardening elsewhere on co-op property. There is an outdoor shared space for kids. A onetime 12 car parking lot was taken out and turned into a social space with edible landscaping. The take home message, there are many benefits gained by managing a group of properties in a synchronized way - in terms of land use, social, safety, security and economics. The fotos and captions help tell the story.
The co-op dates back to 1982. It's a great story how the co-op came together. It was not easy but the results are significant as many people have called East Blair home over the years, right up to the present. The co-op owns about 8 properties. It is oriented towards people with modest income.
East Blair is not a Block Plan but the properties are managed in a way that simulates a block plan. Just as a group of neighbors might agree to aspects of block planning, East Blair can manage the use of the properties it controls in a way that benefits the residents of the co-op. Residents in the townhouses can access space for gardening elsewhere on co-op property. There is an outdoor shared space for kids. A onetime 12 car parking lot was taken out and turned into a social space with edible landscaping. The take home message, there are many benefits gained by managing a group of properties in a synchronized way - in terms of land use, social, safety, security and economics. The fotos and captions help tell the story.
Above is a Google Image of East Blair Housing Co-op in the Whiteaker Neighborhood of Eugene. All the locations below are contained in the view above. Note, the garden in the lower left hand corner. The red two story building is the community house - meeting space, office, two apartments above, washing machines, library. Former parking lot is open space just to the right of the community house. Some roofing work under way. Whiteaker's bustling small commercial area is two blocks to the left. Downtown Eugene a mile to the right. Hover over the fotos to see captions. You can also clik on the fotos to make them larger.
