Peterborough Housing Cooperative
Situated in inner-city Ōtautahi (Christchurch), Peterborough Co-op is seven households in a row with joined-up back yards. It started in 1982.
The 2011 earthquake terminally damaged all the houses. We have completely rebuilt the cooperative to a purpose designed pocket neighbourhood. It has 14 townhouses around a huge central courtyard, with a neighbourhood house. |
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Peterborough Pocket Neighbourhood Site Plan
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Tour PeterboroughPeterborough Housing Cooperative is being rebuilt now, after being extensively damaged in the 2011 earthquake.
The new pocket neighbourhood has 14 dwellings cluster around a large common courtyard. Plus a common house/education centre, and adjoining section for parking. You are able to view the build from the footpath at 175 Peterborough Street, Central City, Christchurch. No on-site tours are currently available until the new pocket neighbourhood is finished, which is quite soon. |
Resident Management
Co-operative enterprises are those controlled and managed by their residents, workers, or consumers. The residents run the cooperative, and decisions are made by consensus.
Peterborough has a common lounge, bike shed, laundry, tool shed, vaccuum cleaner, give-away collection, garages, picnic tables, bee hives, basketball hoop, compost bins, trailer, lawn-mower and tree-hut. |
Weekly Pot Luck Dinner
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Annual Christmas Water Fight
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Sense of Community
Peterborough gives a sense of extended family-like ties. Each household is in charge of itself, but is also part of something bigger. Formally this consists of a weekly pot-luck dinner in the common lounge or outside in summer. Residents also have a monthly working-bee for house and yard upkeep.
Informal chats are probably more significant (and just being able to borrow a cup of sugar). It's much like how neighbourhood's used to be. |