Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Policy Library

[Judith Bush (jbush]

It is nice to feel the excitement build on the listserve before a 
conference, even if you are not crossing the country to attend! The Policy 
Library thread puts me in mind of the Open Source "attitude" that seems to 
characterize the cohousing movement.  Putting things like by-laws and 
policies on our websites testifies to that.  Now someone is offering to be 
even more organized about it.  That's great.
One question in my mind: could there be an open source attitude about house 
blueprints?  Maybe there already is.  I'm struck when I look at community 
websites, homes for sale, etc. at how similar in many basic ways our 
buildings (units, common houses) are.  One of the things that drives up the 
costs of building and therefore the cost of homes is professional fees. 
Spending a lot of time and energy in the design phase can be fun, but it can 
also be exhausting and ultimately expensive.  We want a mix of low, middle, 
and higher income people in our communities.  But we are often unaffordable 
to younger families, people working intentionally in meaningful but 
low-paying jobs, etc.  Is sharing blueprints a piece of the solution?  (In 
writing this, I worry  that I will be offending the wonderful architects who 
have essentially created a library of possibilities for cohousing.  That's 
not my intention.)
Anyway, perhaps the whole topic of Open Source could be a focus at a future 
cohousing gathering.
Judith Bush, Cobb Hill, Hartland, VT