Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Evolution of Cohousing Communities?

[lilbert (lilbert]

You don't say where you went, but I would venture to say that it is not 
typical of the "older" communities. Ours is one of the oldest, and though
the activity leveled out after the honeymoon period, the level has stayed
pretty much the same after that. We still have well attended community meals
2-5 times/week (20-40 people out of 70-odd residents), and spontaneous and
planned gatherings occasionally. Labor Day weekend we had a rafting trip,
for instance. A couple of weeks ago we had a women's night out which was
well attended, and the guys got together for a belated bachelor party a
while ago. We have chairs outside my house, and a couple of nights a week,
there will be people sitting and chatting together. The place isn't a
beehive of activity, unless we're having a wedding or something, but there
is usually a fair amount of activity on a weekend.

Sometimes, we will not go out of our way to greet visitors, because they may
not want to talk; they could just be visiting friends. If we said hello to
every non-member individually, they would be bombarded with (possibly
unwanted) attention. Just imagine coming to visit a friend, and every person
in the whole condo association comes up and introduces him/herself to you!
That would be a little creepy. We generally wait to be introduced to them.
Usually people who are going to be staying around for awhile will get
introduced at a meal or a general meeting. Sometimes those who are very
excited about cohousing will be disappointed that we aren't more "friendly",
but this is our But we sure won't ignore you if you say hello.

Actually, my experience of those moving in after resales is that they are a
big boost to the community (makes sense when you figure that those who leave
are generally not high participating members). In that sense, I think the
community as it exists now is more vital than when we first moved in.
Certainly, everyone here knows when a sale is pending! We often have
ceremonies for welcoming new member families and we just had a farewell
gathering this summer for a beloved family who left (*sniff*).

Every community is different. there is no mare a "typical" cohousing
community than there is a typical person. If you are concerned about moving
there, go look at other communities if you can. You may find one that feels
right for you. I'm certain that there are people who would love one place
and not another. Good luck!


--
Liz Stevenson
Southside Park Cohousing
Sacramento, California

----------
> Can any longtime cohousers and cohousing researchers comment on whether
> the amount of community activity stays about the same in a cohousing
> community or lessens over time?
>

>
> --Jasmine Gold
>