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

[Nitsan Vardi (emi_nv]

As so ofte before, Bob, you define the essential issues so well:

1) Cohousing is not the best way of living for everyone. It is only good
for those who mentally fit in and are prepared to pay the (mental,
social, financial, ...) price. 

2) Cohousing does not have to be for everyone. The values of cohousing
communities spread beyond the membership to society in general.

There is no need to nurture the illusion that some day the whole world
will turn to living in cohousing - the 'whole world' turned its back many
times in history to ideas designed to save it. Still, we do ours to
improve the world - and having a good time doing it may be a sufficient
reward by itself. Of course, the cohousing idea should be promoted - but
why fool ourself about the appeal it may have for the general public? As
two examples we can take the kibbutz movement in Israel, which attracted
at most 3 percent of the population; and the cohousing 'movement' in
Denmark, still at a few promilles after 25 years.
                                                ___ __
Nitsan Vardi                                  \   \   \ \   \   \/  \  \
Electromagnetics Institute, bldg. 348              \   \ \   \  _\    __\
Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Lyngby, Denmark      \          
Tel (+45)45881444, (+45)45253767, Fax (+45)45931634, e-mail nv [at] emi.dtu.dk

On Tue, 17 Oct 1995, Rob Sandelin (Exchange) wrote:

> 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 =
>.... 
> 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
>.... 
> 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 =
>... 
> Rob Sandelin
>