Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: Cohousing, Communes, Community--Not for Profit! Please

[Rob Sandelin (robsan]

Jean Pfleiderer  <pfleiderer_j [at] WIZARD.COLORADO.EDU>
 wrote:

> But that's a situation which can only be further aggravated if
>we aren't on the alert for a mainstream business mentality that will be only
>too happy to "co-opt" the whole "cohousing" scene and turn it into a
>buzzword for developers.

It is too late I would think.  There are already some cohousing 
communities built which were carried by for profit developers, such as 
Muir Commons.  I think for profit developers could be valuable allies 
in making cohousing happen in a big way. For one thing they have the 
capital to be able to tie up land for development.

Why does it matter if it is for profit or not if the end result is 
resident designed, and maintained communities, built by, for and of the 
people who live there?  We pay professionals all the time to do work 
for us, why not pay a developer?   If you are one of the co-creators of 
your community then you are the developer right? If you sell your 
cohousing home are you excluded from making a profit on it?

I know a couple of the cohousing consultants and they are pretty much 
just acting as developers, or so it would appear to me.  They don't do 
it for free. Personally I think having mainstream business co-opt 
cohousing would spread cohousing concepts to every new and remodeled 
neighborhood in America.  I'm all in favor of that myself and see no 
reason why it would be something to be afraid of, it's actually one of 
my lifes works.

There is very much that goes on in the cohousing scene which can be 
easily  adopted in almost any neighborhood around. I would love to see 
people more involved in the planning and creation of their developments 
and if not, some of the positive social ideas realized by cohousing 
incorporated everywhere.  I know this would make cohousing less 
"special"  but that is OK by me.  Wouldn't it be great if everyone had 
close ties to their neighbors, worked together on common projects, 
shared resources and ideas and worked out their differences?  If 
mainstream business and it's advertising make these things have value, 
then people will want them.

Personally I'm all in favor of being co-opted by mainstream business, 
it will spread the movement farther and faster and the more people who 
start living in a sane way the better our society will become.  It is 
the cohousing movements job to make the definition clear of what 
cohousing is and is not and then spread that word so that "fake" 
cohousing, e.g. a typical condo labeled cohousing,  doesn't happen.

Rob Sandelin
Puget Sound Cohousing Network
Being verbose again I see.