Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Mainstream vs. Cohousing (Craig Ragland)

[Marta Vanegas, Concordia Organizer (admin]

Craig, 
 
You wrote:
 
"I think the most important "cohousing promotion" is driven by prospective
cohousing communities during the pre-construction phase when the emerging
community needs and seeks members.
In some communities, founding (and early) members market to more
"mainstream" people and seek to create more "mainstream" communities. "
 
I guess that's us.  We are trying to create a suburban infill cohousing 
community and I'm frankly annoyed by the assumption that doing so would impair 
our community-ism.  We will have everything that qualifies a community as 
cohousing.  I'd still like to think that this idea could be attractive to the 
mainstream.  Actually, we discussed this with Graham Meltzer at length, when he 
came to present his book in Berkeley.  Graham argues in his book that cohousing 
is mainstream.  And he concludes that as such, it offers a supportive culture 
and context for mainstream people to live more sustainably and healthier.
 
I also agree with you that we should not let the cohousing concept be washed 
away by larger and more intensive concepts, such as Permaculture.
 
Thanks to all participating in this discussion, I wish you well.
 
 


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