Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Defining "the cohousing principle"

[Victoria (victoria]

"We need to throw away the idea of the future owners/renters of cohousing
communities having to be their own designers, and therefore, developers.
These myths are a huge millstone around the neck of cohousing as a
movement."  Anthony Cooke

When we talk about all the wonderful bonding that takes place during
creating and building communities, I think we have de-emphasized a very
important piece:  affordability.  Creating cohousing in the USA requires a
strong group of committed people who have between them a great deal of time
and a great deal of money (I imagine there are exceptions?)  Most people in
our country find these in short supply.  Certainly I am one of these, being
a single working mother.  (I was luckier than most in my divorce settlement,
otherwise I wouldn't be able to live in cohousing, which I love.)  Assuming
I am right about needing a group that has more time and money than average,
clearly the original group is unlikely to be particularly diverse.  I agree
with Anthony entirely when he says " Until developer-led cohousing is the
norm, cohousing is going to remain a fringe, upper-middle class, white
activity."  I think this point is getting short shrift on this list.  Is
this because the cohousers on this list are in fact an example of what I'm
talking about: people with more time and/or money than average?  (BTW, I
don't think people with these resources are BAD in anyway, though in this
instance I am thinking of them as being perhaps a bit short sighted).

Cohousing has the potential to positively impact our countries worst
problems.  It is a WONDERFUL model.  It is particularly likely to benefit
those who don't have much time or money - people who can pool resources if
the model is available to them.  But these people can't be expected to
participate in creating such costly projects.  It simply is not realistic to
expect them to, and unfair to accuse all of them of having their priorities
out of whack. I meet nice families often who simply can't afford to buy into
my community, and I understand, and it makes me sad.

Vicky Leary
Trillium Hollow
Portland, Oregon
Who wants to remind everyone to sign the name and location of their
communities under their signatures.  : )