Failure of cohousing as communties: call for community building | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Fred H. Olson (fholson![]() |
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Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1999 09:38:40 -0600 (MDT) |
Rob Sandelin robsan [at] exchange.microsoft.com is the author of the message below but due to a problem it was posted by the Fred the list manager: owner-cohousing-L [at] cohousing.org Note: This message was from Jul 23, 1999 , sorry for the delay. Fred -------------------- FORWARDED MESSAGE FOLLOWS -------------------- I frequent two worlds which are somewhat seperated: Cohousing, and intentional communities. One of the more interesting debate points I have heard come from IC folks is that Cohousing will eventually just become fancy housing developments because the only requirement to live in cohousing is enough money, and with no other operational requirements they are doomed to fail as communities. When cohousing groups sell their units, particularly in difficult markets, they will soft sell the "community" aspects and hard sell the convience, ameneties, etc. in order to make the sale. Over time, as the ideological foundations that drove the development are eroded away, and the founders with their visions of closer relationships with their neighbors, are replaced by people looking for a good housing deal, much of the energy it takes to make a place have a "sense of community" will diminish. Perhaps over time, dissappear altogether. The high cost of home ownership usually means most the participants must spend most their time and energy away from the community at work, leaving very little left over for community events and endeavors. There are lots of condos these days that have community centers, pedestrian designs, even gathering nodes in their designs, but these places have no more sense of community than anywhere else. It is the intention to have a relationship with your neighbors that drives the activities that make a sense of community happen. In fact, this is what drives cohousing founders to spend several years of their lives to create such places. That intention is the difference between cohousing and a condo. If that intention dies, then all you have left is some buildings and grumpy people who will complain about the closeness of the design and the lack of privacy. Although I have never been there, I have heard from 4 different sources now that this is the state of the Cohousing group in Aspen. I have been told many of the people who moved there did so because it was low income housing, not because they wanted a closer relationship with their neighbors. Over time, those that held the community vision have slowly moved out, discouraged and dissillusioned. One of the couples I met from there was astonished that there were cohousing groups that worked as communities! They assumed their experience was universal. I was happy to set them straight and they later joined another group, perhaps wiser to what can happen when you don't pay attention to your community health. So in order to keep your community, or perhaps create more of, a sense of community what are the activities that you can do? Share your ideas. that's what this list is for. Rob Sandelin Sharingwood Cohousing (13 years old and still going) Northwest Intentional Communities Association. The NW communities gathering will be held August 20-22 at River Farm. Check our website for detials at http://www.infoteam.com/nonprofit/nica
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