Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: RE: [C-L]_ HOAs in Cohousing

[Fleck (foam4u]

Hi Marta,

(I'm assuming this is a serious thread and not just bait.)

My experience with our coho group is that most of our members joined because
of the people, the community and the envirnomental concerns we shared and
were totally disinterested in the infrastructure. The concept of "building
homes for people" was definitely secondary. Some people had to really
stretch to pay for their places and still stuck it out. The challenge of
process, interaction, consideration and compromise has created a vibrant
environment.

Most of the people I know who've chosen condos did so for location and price
and could care less about community. In fact, the less interaction they have
with their neighbors, the happier they are. In our community, if someone
misses a few dinners, we start worrying if everything's OK.

I think you have to be born with a "meeting gene" to enjoy that aspect of
either living situation but I expect cohos, on average, get a better turnout
that condos. The interaction is often frustrating but growth-filled.

What do you see as the benefit of making cohousing more "mainstream"? Why do
you feel it's important to not reduce the standard of living? How would you
define that? Just curious.
Anne at Jackson Place Seattle

-----Original Message-----
From: Marta Vanegas, Concordia Organizer
[mailto:admin [at] concordiacohousing.org]
Sent: Friday, September 02, 2005 2:32 PM
To: CoHo-L
Subject: Fwd: RE: [C-L]_ HOAs in Cohousing


Rob Sandelin <floriferous [at] msn.com> wrote:
To remove the notion of community from cohousing, renders it something
entirely different than what it is.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---
Rob,

Hey, hey, slower with the judgment!  Let's sit on the horse the other way,
shall we?  I wasn't gonna remove the notion of community from cohousing,
rather was pondering to attempt, at least in my condo complex, adding the
notion of community to condos.  Condos are an ecological choice, compared to
single family houses or macmansions.  Other affordable housing options
should not be poo-poo-ed on this forum...

Oh, participatory design process, consensus, and all, it's great, but
essentially, we're talking about housing, aren't we?  You said, without
community, cohousing has no point.  And without housing, cohousing has no
point either.  We are talking about building homes for people.


And I think by now no one could trademark the word cohousing, if you want to
discuss this, we could... on another thread.



Marta R. Vanegas
Community Organizer
Concordia Cohousing
admin [at] concordiacohousing.org
www.concordiacohousing.org

"Be the change you wish to see in the world" - Mahatma Gandhi

Cohousing - Building an Old Fashioned Neighborhood in a New Way
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