Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Apartment Sharing Developer attempts to co-opt cohousing, (Jenny Guy)

[William C. Wood (woodwc]

/>> There is one key element for me that needs to be added to your core 
concept//
//>> of private home, common house and some meals, and that is democratic//
//>> self-management.//
/
/> I agree, that's given.//
/
To clarify, there are two important issues in this discussion:
1. What should qualify for the label "cohousing"?
2. What really works? (to help people live with the greater sense of 
community they may seek)

And on question 1, I agree that democratic self-management should be 
part of the definition of "cohousing."

But as for what really works -- I'd like to gently suggest that for many 
people, democratic self-management is a drawback, not an advantage. They 
do not like the idea of lots of meetings or the politicization of 
neighborhood issues. So, how can people live more in community? A number 
of different models are being tried -- "let ten thousand flowers bloom." 
We can all learn from the successes and the failures, including the 
success or failure of developments that include common facilities but no 
democratic self-management.

Bill
--
William C. Wood
Director, Simplicity House
http://simplicityhouse.org