Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: so is it cohousing? Richdale Place in Cambridge, MA

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Feb 8, 2007, at 10:25 AM, Chris ScottHanson wrote:

> A deeper, more interesting question might be - Why is a cohouser, and
> an experienced cohousing developer, now doing a developer driven
> project that may or may not actually chose to be cohousing?

I recently had a brief experience of participating in a developing 
community. I like the community where I am now but would prefer to be 
in an even more urban location, to be in a differently designed 
building complex, and to start with some new ideas.

My experience was interesting to me. I found that I could not start 
from scratch with inexperienced people again. I just couldn't go 
through the endless discussions over aim statements, ideas for meal 
programs, idealistic projections of building costs, etc., etc, etc., 
when I felt I knew where they were all going to end up. After you do 
this once, you learn what is possible and what is just not.

After reading this list for over 10 years and actively participating in 
discussions here as well as in my community plus all the reading I do 
related to sociocracy, I just couldn't do it. I'm in a whole different 
place.

There is a saying in business that the pioneers are the ones with 
arrows in their backs -- meaning innovations can get you dead as well 
as rich. Stick to the tried and true. We know there are a lot of 
cohousing people and groups out there with arrows in their backs. They 
either failed or spent many years and wasted a lot of money building 
their dream.

In cohousing we now know what is tried and true. The early groups 
figured that out. Some are now 20+ years old. Why does every group have 
to start from scratch with a pot luck between friends and strangers? 
For one, I was never attracted to the potlucks or to the group 
sing-alongs. They are still not what attracts me to cohousing.

All the early stuff probably does weed some people out just based on 
personality. But the after move-in phase is so different from the 
pre-move in phase that I'm not so sure anymore that the long 
pre-move-in phase does anything more than create a less diverse group. 
I think with all the tools available from built communities, and with 
very clear bylaws and community agreements, people could hit the ground 
running and still be cohousing. And many of these agreements could be 
crafted based on an initial plan by a developing group (or a developer) 
to be amended down the line as the community ages.

Sharon
----
Sharon Villines
Coauthor with John Buck of the forthcoming
We the People: Consenting to a Deeper Democracy
The Complete Guide to Sociocratic Principles and Methods
http://www.sociocracy.info