Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: More on Making Community

[Fred H Olson WB0YQM (fholson]

Jack Sherwood JJSherwood [at] aol.com
is the author of the message below but due
to a problem it was posted by the COHOUSING-L sysop (Fred).
****************  FORWARDED MESSAGE FOLLOWS *********************

 I have been reading your messages, this is my first time to post a message
to you folks.  I appreciate the opportunity to ask about ideas about
developing a" Model for the People-side of community."  

For the past 18-months we have been working to establish
a CoHousing Community in Sonoma County, California (about an hour north of
San Francisco).  We are a group of about18 households and are aiming for
about 26-28 units in a small town setting.  We are child-friendly, cross
generational, and having a good time while pursuing our vision.  Things are
moving fast these days, because we are very close to purchasing our land.
 It's getting exciting....!

I am asking your help in the name of our COMMUNITY LIFE  COMMITTEE.  We have
been diligently working for more than a year in our attempt to create the
soft-side of our CoHousing project--that is, the people side--at the same
time we are designing a site plan, negotiating for land, and figuring out how
to finance our vision.

The Community Life Committee is constructing a MODEL FOR BUILDING COMMUNITY
and our question is:  In your experience with planning, designing and living
in CoHousing, what are the ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS for establishing a caring,
viable, energetic, cohesive, joyful community of people....?

What roles or processes or structures need to be created?    What needs to be
done or agreed upon or in place or debated in order for a collection of
people chasing CoHousing as a concept to become a genuine community of
people, who act as a community?  The definition of community we are working
toward is one offered by Carolyn Schaffer:  "Community emerges wherever and
however people, as a group, commit themselves to their own, one another's,
and the group's well-being and engage in regular pratices that express this
commitment."  Please help us with your experience in MANAGING and CREATING
THIS JOURNEY.

We have given this some thought and will be glad to share our views with you
once we get our own heads on straight....

Our Community Life Committee has produced several short and pithy documents
on "Guidelines for Effective Meetings," "Consensus Decisions," "Community
Relations Council," "Some Design Considerations" (buildings and grounds).  If
you are interested, I would be glad to mail something to you.

Thanking you in advance, I am

Jack Sherwood AKA jjsherwood [at] aol.com..........
Currently a writer, formerly a consultant on organizational effectivess,
before that a professor.  My wife has the same professional history.  Our
three children are grown.  We live in a wonderful place on Telegraph Hill in
San Francisco--with thousands of neighbors, but no community.  Thus this
journey....!