Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: Measuring Cohousing Community Sizes -- Ratios of Adults to Units

[Eileen McCourt (emccourt]

Sharon, I agree that the two operative numbers that you identify are the
most interesting and probably most indicative in some way of how a community
functions.  However, you did not track the number needed for consensus, you
tracked the number of people who do the work, if I recall correctly.   I
would expect the actual size of the community to be the number required for
consensus.  The number of adults who participate is a different number.

I would find it most interesting to know how many adults are in a community,
compared to the number who participate actively in the community.
Participation is going to be a subjective measure, based on the point of
view of the respondent, unless some specific questions are asked to try and
minimize the subjective aspect of the responses by determining what
participation means in terms of this particular survey. It would be
interesting to see if there is any trend related to that ratio, i.e. is it
easier or harder to make decisions or easier or harder to get work done
(again subjective measures, but still interesting), based on the ratio.

Thanks for compiling the info.  Maybe I'll put together a questionnaire for
the next ratio of how many adults are members as compared to how many
participate, when I'm looking around for something to do!  Don't anyone hold
your breath.

--eileen

emccourt [at] mindspring.com
phone    650-691-1195
fax         650-691-0195
mobile   650-766-0889

-----Original Message-----
From: cohousing-l-admin [at] cohousing.org
[mailto:cohousing-l-admin [at] cohousing.org]On Behalf Of Sharon Villines
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2001 11:09 AM
To: Cohousing-L
Subject: [C-L]_Measuring Cohousing Community Sizes -- Ratios of Adults to
Units

(numbers for two more communities added)

The original question was "What is the better indicator of the size of a
cohousing community -- the number of adults who affect decisions or the
number of units." Units is usually used but it seems not to be the operative
number or even related directly to the operative number.

The operative number would seem to be (1) how many people have to get on
board with a decision in order to reach consensus and (2) how many are there
to do the work and join in on community activities.

Adults per Household Sorted by Number of Units.

_ratio_   Adults:Units
_1.36_ 19:14 -- Monterey, Minneapolis, MN
_1.43_ 20:14 -- Berkeley Cohousing
_2.17_ 37:17 -- N Street, Davis, CA
_1.65_ 28:17 -- Village Cohousing, Madison WI
_3.54_ 78:22 -- Sharingwood
_1.67_ 40:24 -- Rosewind, Port Townsend, WA
_1.83_ 44:24 -- New View, Acton MA
_1.32_ 33:25 -- Wasatch Commons, Salt Lake City, UT
_1.40_ 35:25 -- Southside Park, Sacramento, CA
_1.59_ 43:27 -- Pathways, Northampton, MA
_1.58_ 65:41 -- Cambridge Cohousing
_1.23_ 53:43 -- Takoma Village, DC

Adults per Household Sorted by Number of Adults

_ratio_ Adults:Units
_1.36_ 19:14 -- Monterey, Minneapolis, MN
_1.43_ 20:14 -- Berkeley Cohousing
_1.65_ 28:17 -- Village Cohousing, Madison WI
_1.32_ 33:25 -- Wasatch Commons, Salt Lake City, UT
_1.40_ 35:25 -- Southside Park, Sacramento, CA
_2.17_ 37:17 -- N Street, Davis, CA
_1.67_ 40:24 -- Rosewind, Port Townsend, WA
_1.59_ 43:27 -- Pathways, Northampton, MA
_1.83_ 44:24 -- New View, Acton MA
_1.23_ 53:43 -- Takoma Village, DC
_1.58_ 65:41 -- Cambridge Cohousing
_3.54_ 78:22 -- Sharingwood


Adults per Household Sorted by Ratio of Adults to Units

_ratio_ Adults:Units
_1.23_ 53:43 -- Takoma Village, DC
_1.32_ 33:25 -- Wasatch Commons, Salt Lake City, UT
_1.36_ 19:14 -- Monterey, Minneapolis, MN
_1.40_ 35:25 -- Southside Park, Sacramento, CA
_1.43_ 20:14 -- Berkeley Cohousing
_1.59_ 43:27 -- Pathways, Northampton, MA
_1.65_ 28:17 -- Village Cohousing, Madison WI
_1.67_ 40:24 -- Rosewind, Port Townsend, WA
_1.58_ 65:41 -- Cambridge Cohousing
_1.83_ 44:24 -- New View, Acton MA
_2.17_ 37:17 -- N Street, Davis, CA
_3.54_ 78:22 -- Sharingwood

Sorting by ratios (even if ratios at small numbers mean less if anything),
one would see entirely different order of size than by counting units or
counting adults. Does this mean anything?

While Takoma Village has 43 units, it only has 53 adults to do the work and
make decisions. It has the largest number of units but the smallest ratio of
adults to units, thus in some ways a smaller community. But the work of
upkeep on the real estate is staggering.

At N Street, there are only 17 units but 37 adults who have to reach
consensus, and 37 adults to do the work. Sharingwood is in the same
position.

Sharon
--
Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org


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