Cohousing-L Mailing List: Themed, affinity, or specialty cohousing

[Roger Studley (roger]

Hi All --

A couple weeks ago there was a discussion on this list about what might be
called "themed" or "affinity group" or "specialty" cohousing. Much of the
discussion was around whether or not it was a good idea, whether it might
or might not work. I have a related but different question::

Can anyone share EXPERIENCE, pro or con, with creating or living in this
type of cohousing. For example, Temescal Commons in Oakland was started by
a group associated with a Methodist church. My understanding is that there
was originally a desire for residents to be part of both the church and
cohousing communities, but that the church component is no longer really an
aspect of community life. Is that correct? If yes, I would love to know
what worked and what didn't and why the community changed focus. If no, I
would like to hear the actual story.

Are there any OTHER communities that have had (or tried to have) some sort
of affinity or focus, either formally or informally? Other communities
where the foundation of community life was both a desire for intentional
community AND something else that residents had in common? What are the
lessons learned from that experience?

Again, I am not looking to revisit the arguments for these types of
communities. Rather, I would like to know if these sorts of communities
have been attempted and what the experience has been.

Thanks!
~Roger

*Roger Studley*
*510-604-2607 <510-604-2607>*
*roger [at] urbanmoshav.org <Roger%20Studley%20%3Croger [at] 
urbanmoshav.org%3E>*