Towards community sustainability: Housing co-operatives as learning organizations
Date
2010-12Author
Zagozewski, Rebecca
Type
ThesisDegree Level
MastersMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Current trends in housing development are economically, socially and environmentally unsustainable. Co-operatives may have an advantage with respect to the sustainable development of housing and housing communities. The research focuses on the ability of housing co-operative organizations to function as learning organizations to advance goals of sustainability. Drawing on literatures focused on housing co-operatives, learning organizations, community capital and sustainability, the investigation primarily focuses on a single strategic case: a housing co-operative that actively pursues goals of sustainability. The research also includes information gathered through personal participation and observation during three years of membership in another housing co-operative. The research methods employed include observation, documentation, and personal and group interviews. The intent is to understand the extent to which housing co-operatives can be learning organizations with regards to various aspects of community sustainability. The term community sustainability encompasses issues related to the viability and longevity of the community itself, as well as the adoption and implementation of more sustainable consumption practices by community members. The use and refinement of selected criteria for organizational and social learning facilitated the investigation of the ways in which a specific housing co-operative, and housing co-operatives more generally, may function as learning organizations.
Degree
Master of Arts (M.A.)Department
SociologyProgram
SociologySupervisor
Gertler, MichaelCommittee
Reed, Maureen; Nicol, JenniferCopyright Date
December 2010Subject
community capital
sustainable housing
social learning
communities of practice
cognitive praxis
community development