Cohousing-L Mailing List: Mainstream appeal: base model cohousing

[Rob Sandelin (Exchange) (Robsan]

After spending a lot of time talking with lots of potential cohousing =
prospects, my own conclusion is that cohousing is, and will always be, a =
limited market.  I too have several friends who espouse that they would =
like to live in cohousing, yet when given the opportunity to do so, they =
don't.  The advantages of cooperative living do not out weigh the costs =
for these folks.

In general, cooperative lifestyle requires giving up total control over =
your living situation in order to gain the benefits of sharing =
resources.  This is a large step which many people will not make, =
especially since the cost is so high for cohomes. =20

So what do these people want?  My observation, based on about 50 =
informal interviews over a three year period, is that cohousing =
generates the following 4 concerns: "" =3D something a prospect actually =
said to me.
* More privacy - They really DON'T want to know their neighbors that =
well, nor have their neighbors know them. "So I have a fight with my =
wife and everybody is involved in it?" "So, HOW MANY meetings do I have =
to go to?"
* More room for the dollar - "Why pay $175,000 for 1200 square feet of =
living space with no yard?" =20
*Private yards - "I don't want to have to have a committee to plant a =
rose bush."
*More control over what they do - "So what if I want to build my own =
covered parking space or hot tub? I have to get permission from =
everyone?"

I think, in all my limited experience, that cohousing seems unlikely to =
succeed as a viable alternate to mainstream suburbia unless the values =
of community become its market definition, and those values become very =
important to the buyers.  I beleive this will happen, but not in =
isolation.  Someday a national marketing message for cohousing will =
happen, maybe at the move in of the hundreth cohousing group?  Until =
then, we struggle to define our prototypes as best we can, to an =
audience which is largely suspicious of anything cooperative.

  I doubt there is any more  appeal for "base-model" cohousing, than for =
eco-village sufi dancing community,  and since the people doing it now =
are the truely extrodinary 1%, limiting it to base-model might actually =
be detremental by not being enough of an alternative.  Eco-village in =
Ithaca will never appeal to the mainstream, but that's OK. Creating it =
for the 1% is much more important than worrying about the 99% right now. =
 If the socialiogists are right, and American Society is indeed heading =
into large scale systematic  social failure, ( and I am not promoting =
this particular idea ) then our communities will eventually become what =
everyone wants.  We have to learn ALL the lessons, what works, what =
doesn't, so we can be good teachers when the time is right.  Lets not be =
afraid to try new things, and make a few mistakes.  Give base-model =
cohousing a try, however that is defined.  I would be interested to see =
how it is defined and how it would work. =20

Rob Sandelin
NW Intentional Communities Association
Sharingwood Cohousing