Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Private use of Common Space

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Sep 18, 2005, at 1:08 PM, Dahako [at] aol.com wrote:

> I think it is a misconception to think of the commonhouse rooms as an
> extension of your personal space, with the only difference being the 
> need to  check
> scheduling.  Common space is not individual space, and it is not  
> general
> public space open to a heterogeneous community, like a public library  
> community
> room.  It is a kind of public space managed by the small, more or  less
> homogenous community you live in.

I understand your objection. We've also had some problems with people 
wanting to leave personal possessions in the public spaces and make 
individual decisions about what would hang on the walls or how the 
furniture would be arranged. But it ours is not like the community room 
at the library. It is much more personal and private than that.

Understanding it as an extension of everyone's homes was the only way 
to explain to those who saw it as the community room at the library to 
understand that it  is a residential space, not a public meeting room. 
They wanted rules posted like those at a public swimming pool.

My model for cohousing is the compounds built and used by extended 
families for generations. From the "big house" with suites and 
individual rooms to the smaller houses, they are a complex of buildings 
that are all personal and used by the family in various ways. Many 
other people use the spaces but do so as the guests of family members.

> My biggest disagreement with the viewpoint that common space is an  
> extension
> of individual space is that leads quite a few people (in my  
> experience,
> mostly those inclined to introversion) to guard common space from  
> "strangers" the
> same way they protect their private space.  And, to me, the  
> commonhouse is a
> place for not only the residents of the cohousing community to  come
> together, but a place where managed interactions (including parties,  
> workshops,
> music, meetings) with the greater public community can happen --  
> early and often.

I would say that our expectation is that these things can and do happen 
but we expect to see a member present and supervising. They have the 
responsibility for the group. Some of our members do not want to 
reserve the space for workshops, etc. because they have found taking 
responsibility for everyone who attends too much work.

Since we have designed a free-flowing space with no doors that only 
open on a meeting space, supervision is necessary by someone. Spaces 
designed for community meetings and workshops would not be designed 
like ours.

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