Re: Launching June 15: CohousingMap.net | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: R Philip Dowds (rpdowds![]() |
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Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2016 04:54:27 -0700 (PDT) |
Maybe there is an informative analogy between cohousing and the general typology of which it is a subset: condominium associations (or HOAs, as they are known in some states). For sure, there are many professionals and disciplines that seek to earn, and do earn, a living from condominiums: Real estate developers, architects specializing in multi-family design, property managers, attorneys, accountants and reserve planning specialists, and so on. Some of these professionals are focused uniquely on condos, others are active more broadly in the residential or real estate market. In any event, there is money to be made, and there are professional associations with budgets, staff and annual conventions supporting the various disciplines. But … is there a national condominium movement? That is, an organized body of advocates and practitioners who believe that condominiums are the right way to live, and that (most) everyone should be living in condominiums? Is there a national condominium association promoting condo life, and trying to draw people in, proselytizing the concept like a church or conservation group? If there is, it is unknown to me. So: I don’t think there is any such thing as a national condominium movement. Nor do I think there is much money to attract by promoting condos as a great idea generally. I think there are some reasons why this might be true — and I think some of these reasons are applicable to cohousing. For those of us who do believe that cohousing is a great idea … are we the vanguard of a movement? Or, are we trying to share a gift? How we answer this question will influence how we conceptualize our financial model. Thanks, Philip Dowds Cornerstone Village Cohousing Cambridge, MA > On Jun 16, 2016, at 10:46 PM, Ann Zabaldo <zabaldo [at] earthlink.net> wrote: > > > >> On Jun 16, 2016, at 10:21 PM, Tiffany Lee Brown <magdalen23 [at] gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >> Why not make it so the same platform/with a differently branded app could be >> used for developers to start for-profit housing arrangements? > > Why would a developer or a group of developers do this unless they knew they > could make a profit? What we lack is research and reliable industry figures > that current professionals are willing to share so as to draw other > professionals into the biz. >> >> The rationale in this case is to get venture capitalists and/or developers >> to put up the money to develop tools the rest of us need! I've spent most of >> my life in nonprofit, community projects. It does not behoove us to underpay >> our visionaries and workers, or to expect everything to be done on a >> volunteer basis -- this is still how I do many things, but I think it lends >> itself to burnout and limits community leadership and engagement to people >> who can afford to work for free. Not everyone has that luxury. > > I agree that we overwork our volunteers to death. If cohousing is to grow, > it needs to provide people with an income so they can work in a field they > love full time and not “hobby” time. > > However, I still don’t see developers putting up the money to develop tools > “the rest of use will use.” First of all … who are “the rest of us?” The > volunteer folks? The folks that will work to create one cohousinig > community they will live in but not another one? How does that further the > movement beyond what is happening right now? If cohousing is to really, > seriously take off … it needs a professional group of people who earn a > living at this. Development is too big to do part time or with just > volunteers. (And God Bless all the zillions of volunteers and volunteer > hours by paid professionals who have gotten us this far in the movement. You > are Awesome!) >> >> Tiffany >> >> Sent from the far shores of a distant land > > Best -- > > Ann Zabaldo > Takoma Village Cohousing > Washington, DC > Principal, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC > Falls Church, VA > 202.546.4654 > > My password is the last 5 digits of Pi … >> > > _________________________________________________________________ > Cohousing-L mailing list -- Unsubscribe, archives and other info at: > http://www.cohousing.org/cohousing-L/ > >
- Re: Launching June 15: CohousingMap.net, (continued)
- Re: Launching June 15: CohousingMap.net Corey, June 16 2016
- Re: Launching June 15: CohousingMap.net Sharon Villines, June 17 2016
- Creating Wealth [was Launching June 15: CohousingMap.net Sharon Villines, June 17 2016
- Re: Creating Wealth [was Launching June 15: CohousingMap.net Sharon Villines, June 17 2016
- Re: Launching June 15: CohousingMap.net R Philip Dowds, June 17 2016
- Re: Launching June 15: CohousingMap.net Catya Belfer, June 17 2016
- Community Associations Institute [was Launching June 15: CohousingMap.net Sharon Villines, June 17 2016
- Re: Community Associations Institute [was Launching June 15: CohousingMap.net R Philip Dowds, June 17 2016
- Re: Community Associations Institute [was Launching June 15: CohousingMap.net Sharon Villines, June 17 2016
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