Cohousing-L Mailing List: Publicity/national/local

[Joaniblank (Joaniblank]

In response to Jim Snyder--

I think that there is no such thing as too much publicity for a living style
that most of us believe in so deeply. I say this because: 

1) I have met many people who strongly desire just what is offered by
cohousing, but who just happen not to have heard about it yet;

 2) I think that even people who will never in this lifetime live in
cohousing--might not even want to--will be motivated to think about ways in
which their lives can be enriched by building community by reading/learning
about the way we  have chosen to do it.

I don't think there is any growth rate that is "too fast" for cohousing.
Those who do their homework will make it work more readily than those who
don't. But everyone will learn from their own and others' mistakes, and each
group will have its own personality anyway. 

Certainly, not everyone wants to be in the thick of things when the media/are
is snooping around, but I feel sure that each community/group can find a way
to interact with the media that doesn't feel like an imposition on the whole
group. Usually at least one member of each group enjoys that task and can
keep the media out of everyone else's hair if that is desired. 

In the case of Doyle Street, we needed the (local) media to help us get a
full house. After the first batch of us moved in, we still had three units,
out of a total of only twelve, empty/unsold! Our last unit didn't sell until
a year and a half after move-in, and someone moved out recently, we had no
waiting list for any size unit. And for our first two years our 12 units were
the only cohousing units in the entire SF Bay area--one of the most desirable
metro areas in North America! It is true that our units are up there in
price, and that many people want a less urban environment than we live in
here; nevertheless, it still surprises me that we don't have lots of folks
eager to live here. 

Jim, there is plenty of room in this movement for those who may "want to
start a revolution" as well as for those who'd rather not, Let's hear it for
diversity!

(To update anyone who might be interested, Katie and Chuck have sold their
unit so we all get a new neighbor and the McCamant/ Durretts get a spacious
two-bedroom, where their darling Jessie can have a room of her own!.)