Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Limits to CoHousing -Reply

[Rob Sandelin (robsan]

Steve Fogarty  wrote:
>The authors of the book that brought this living concept to
>us all (CoHousing) state very clearly that the least successful
>European CoHousing communities were those that bore an ideological
>flag - "we are Green" or "we are Orange".

As much as I admire both Katy and Chuck (The authors of the first 
Cohousing Book) I must point out that their book should not be taken as 
the gospel truth about cohousing in Denmark, or anywhere else.  The 
book is an excellent introduction but has some definate bias' which 
framed their viewpoints. They openly admit that.  I have had 
discussions with folks who have also visited cohousing (for longer than 
Katy and Chuck did) and also with folks who live and have lived in  
Danish Cohousing Communities and would say from those learnings that 
the book tells less than half the cohousing story.  For example, the 
communities they picked to write about in the book were not a clear 
cross-section of all the different kinds.

So don't let one example frame the truth.  I saw a slide show from a 
couple who had spent three years touring and living in Danish Cohousing 
and they had a different viewpoint about ideology and cohousing.  Who 
is right? They both probably are.

Katy and Chuck don't define American cohousing, nor does their company, 
nor does any single cohousing group.  Ten years from now, when there 
are say 40-50 cohousing groups up and running and we have some real 
examples and history to draw from, then, in my opinion at least, we can 
take a stab at defining American cohousing in a clear way.

RIght now cohousing is too murky to  clearly and truthfully say, what 
is right and what is not, what works and what does not. The experiment 
continues along many lines and whether ideological cohousing, or any 
cohousing works or not will be seen in the test of time.