RE: Re: IT ISN'T COHOUSING IF IT AIN'T GOT THAT CO
From: Rob Sandelin (floriferousmsn.com)
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2001 11:46:01 -0600 (MDT)
Kevin Wolfe captured my thoughts almost exactly. My only addition I have to
add that existing communities can and will outlive any of their founders,
such as the Muir commons having only 25% of it founders. What happens
however, is that the first years of living together create the "co". Once
the "co" is there, then the expectation for community, and the working
living examples of it guides the actions and activities of the participants
and selects future residents. People who do not want the community stuff,
see it happening, and they filter themselves out. (Hooray!)

One example I have heard of where this was  shown in reverse was at the
former  cohousing project in Aspen. Even though it had resident
participation and such, apparently from what I have been told most the
people that moved in  had little interest in community, most were after low
priced housing. After a couple years of low "co", those who held that
interest moved out, being replaced by people that fit into the no "co"
evolution of the place. After a bit more they stopped even calling
themselves cohousing. Common ground  cohousing became Common ground the
neighborhood, with no expectation of the higher levels of interaction and
caring that denote community.

So even places that included all the elements mentioned can become
non-communities if the community spirit is low, and the people who move in
don't have that interest or  expectation.

Rob Sandelin
Community Works!

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