Cohousing-L Mailing List: Continuity in Cohousing communities.

[Rob Sandelin (floriferous]

Pete asked:
>Here's what gets me. Suppose X, who has lived in a coho for N years 
>decides to sell his house to me. I haven't participated in the design.
>Will I experience the coho differently from the original owners?


I think non-design members may have an easier time adjusting because the
systems are in place. Those who built the place and first move in had to
define EVERYTHING. Moving in after all this done is MUCH easier, and you
then can tweak things instead of creating them from scratch.  Once a
community is in place, its operational boundaries become the norms which
filter people in and out. If your norms are street parking, dinners three
nights a week, 12 hours a month labor expectations and no loose dogs, then
that will filter who buys in, assuming the group is smart and organized
enough to transmit the norms to prospective buyers. Over time, the existing
systems and processes molds the group much better than the original startup
crew, who did not have these systems in place to direct them, and who may
hold all kinds of baggage over things not being how they imagined it would
be.  Non-design members who consider joining evaluate the community for WHAT
IT IS, while sometimes original designer participants hold baggage over WHAT
IT IS NOT. This can make the non designers much more satisfied and accepting
of the reality of the experience.

The underside is that new members have a steep learning curve, especially
building relationships and experiences. Savvy groups organize training and
mentors for new members to help them adjust, but there are a lot of
subtlities about successfully and happily living in community. 

Rob Sandelin
Delighted Sharingwood Resident since 1990
Where there are more people who ONCE lived here, than do live here.

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