Cheryl Gladu, MBA, BIB, works on Collaborative Housing (cohousing), a form of intentional community that is co-developed, -designed, and –managed by its occupants. The finished communities have been described as “high-functioning neighbourhoods,” with a great deal of planned and spontaneous sharing of resources. The sustainable design innovations of these communities rarely rely on technology, but rather on design that facilitates human interdependence and collaboration. Using mix-methods, Cheryl’s research aims to document and better understand the processes used to successfully developed and managed cohousing projects in Canada, with a particular interest in the processes used to build a sense of community among participants. She is a student in Concordia’s INDI progam under the supervision of Drs. Raymond Paquin, Paul Strivastava, Carmela Cucuzella, and Martin Racine.
Title: The Architecture of trust: Collaborative design and the establishment of trust in Canadian cohousing communities.