Articles from cohousing wiki
Introduction
This page preserves some articles from the Cohousing Wiki which was created in 2007 and was taken down in 11/11/11. The wiki failed to get enough use and contributions and the software was not updated so it accumulated SPAM. Some articles are excluded from this archive: Articles (and some portions of articles) about the wiki and editing it etc. Lists of communities See also explanation at Community List Articles about individual communities See explanation at Main Page Active Issues Affordable Cohousing Cohousing-L Cohousing Magazine Cohousing Organizations Cohousing in Tasmania Community-Developer Relationships Community Development Models Community List Document Library Games to play in cohousing Grand River Intentional Communities Main Page Mission Statements Modular construction Retrofit Cohousing Stories about life in cohousingMain Page
Articles about individual cohousing communities on the wiki were discouraged. Instead such information, links to community web sites etc should be accessed and maintained at Community Directory on Coho/US. An permissible exception was if a community did not have their own web site and wanted to use an article on the wiki as a simple / temporary web presence tho that could also be done on their page in the Community Directory. The Fellowship of Intentional Communities wiki has cohousing related information. The Document Library was expected to be the main use of this wiki. As on 6/08 it and the wiki have failed to thrive (volunteer contributions have been few). An archive cohousing documents was started in 2010: Cohousing Policy DatabaseArticles in alphabetical order
Active Issues
This page is suggested as a locus for cohousing issues that are currently being discussed, perhaps on Cohousing-L. Once an issue has stabilized, it might just remain here or be moved to a more visible location--a page on the website. The purpose of these pages is not simply to point to a thread on the listserv or any raw dialogue. Rather, it is to summarize or transform the raw inputs into a useful knowledge base that does not require someone to digest these raw inputs and formulate what it all means. This doesn't imply that this knowledge base (document) is stripped of divergent views. All worthwhile views can be supported in the document. The point is that it adds some useful structure to the dialogues making them more accessible to those coming after with similar questions. There are three issues that have drawn extensive comments on the Cohousing-L recently and might be good candidates for this reformulating process. These are: *Modular construction *Community-Developer Relationships *Affordable Cohousing (a "stub" not developed like the others)Affordable Cohousing
What Is Affordable Housing? From the government's perspective (HUD) affordable housing is housing that does not require more than 30% of one's income to own or rent. For ownership, this presumably refers only to the mortgage and possibly the insurance costs. So in that sense, it doesn't refer to low cost or reasonable cost housing. A brief discussion can found here.Cohousing-L
Cohousing-L is a free, email based mostly US and Canadian discussion about cohousing that was created in late 1992. All 25,000 messages are archived and searchable. Hopefully some summaries and pointers to some of the many discussions in those archives will be will be added below (may also have seperate artcle). * Cohousing-l Info page Subscribe forms, other info. * Cohousing-L messages (archives) includes form in upper right corner to search. Finding / Reading noteworthy threads The 25,000 messages include many threads of ongoing interest but finding them can be a challenge. Below is a list of some noteworthy threads. The Cohousing-L weekly summary list summarizes at the subject line level. See archives Cohousing-L summary archive Cohousing Magazine is considering distilling threads see message. Searching with the cohousing-L archive search facility - see below. How one can read these threads depends on how much editing has been done since the thread was posted. A few threads have edited summaries. These could be published in Cohousing Magazine In general tho one needs to read the thread in the Cohousing-L archives. Sometimes a thread continues under several subject lines so it is desirable to browse other threads posted about the same time. Unfortunately the archive mechanism to get to the date index (of 200 messages) from a given message does not work except for recent messages. The page Archive links by date helps find the right date index. Another approach is to search the archives. One can search for subject lines with something like: +subject:Why I like cohousing But hits are not returned in chronological order if there are variant subject lines it gets complicated. Another approach would be to list the url's of all related messages on a wiki page. I don't have an example of that here yet. Noteworthy threads * The June 2008 Why I like cohousing thread and it's off-shoot thread Why I live in cohousing are widely regarded as very interesting and many messages include anecdotes about incidents in specific communities. * "Disillusioned with cohousing" June 2006 - Search archives for "*llusioned" without quotes in Cohousing-L archivesCohousing Magazine
Cohousing Magazine is an online magazine about cohousing. In the early 1990's there was a paper version of the magazine started and edited by Don Lindemann.Cohousing Organizations
* Cohousing-L is an independent online discussion of cohousing. * The Cohousing Association of the United States (Coho/US) -- Comm. Dir. * Canadian Cohousing Network -- Comm. Dir * Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC) -- Comm Dir. FIC serves cohousing communities as well as other forms of intentional communities. FIC's Reachbook is a bulletin board for communities seekeing memeber and people seeking communities (not just cohousing). * Samenhuizen vzw - Europe - Belgium ( in Dutch) * Cohousing in Tasmania * Grand River Intentional Communities - Waterloo Region, Ontario, CanadaCohousing in Tasmania
Cohousing in Tasmania currently consists of three groups. Cascade Cohousing is the oldest established community, a strata title private equity development, while the Cohousing Co-operative Ltd is a partly government funded Community Housing Project. Both these cohousing projects are on the lower slopes of Mt Wellington. Southern Cohousing is currently in development, having identified a parcel of land at Rosny on the Eastern Shore of Hobart.Community-Developer Relationships
A dialogue emerged recently (2/23/08) on the cohousing listserv by the message RFPs and developers (request for proposals) that might be used as models in soliciting bids on the development of a cohousing project. RFPs are defined here and here. Briefly, they are a documented set of needs sent to prospective contractors, each of whom responds with a proposal describing their approach to satisfying the specified needs. This stimulated an extensive dialogue about the nature of the relationship between the community and the developer in the cohousing context. Two distinct approaches for identifying the "best" developer focused the discussion that followed: * strong reliance on well-formed RFPs. * strong reliance on cultivating strong relationships with developers who share cohousing values and goals. These approaches as well as also explored. This document attempts to summarize the content of that discussion for future interested parties. It also includes an experience section for those cohousing projects that want to document their experiences. Others with a better or different view of that dialogue are encouraged to add comments to or edit this page. RFP First The RFP approach involves preparing a document that adequately incorporates a project's requirements and criteria and then distributing the document to developers the community feels are competent and interested in performing the work. This approach allows the community to evaluate proposals from different developers competing for the described work. The community can then select the one that seems the most suitable for their needs. This assumes two things: * the RFP really adequately represents the work that needs to be done, and * the truly competent developers will respond with a proposal. The first assumption is problematic. With any complex project (e.g., software development) it will be highly unlikely that initial design elements will be on the mark. Even with professional consultation, things will have to be amended along the way as reality intrudes or new design concepts emerge. Consequently, relying on the initial responses has some risk. Few realistic projects follow the initial map. Maybe a variant on this process might be to send out the RFP and ask for comments first on its reality. That, in itself, might be one way to identify genuinely interested developers and encourage participation, a problem looked at next. The second assumption is also problematic. A really busy developer (one who is in demand) may not have time to respond to the RFP. Thus, some of those who are really competent may not choose to enter into a competition for the job. Alternatively, some view unwillingness to respond to an RFP as an indication of a problem. Relationship First The relationship-first approach may not be quite as easy to codify. It seems to involve identifying a developer who has a shared interest in cohousing or in projects that don't necessarily fit established patterns. Once identified, the possibilities are explored to determine the interest and commitment a prospective developer potentially would have in the project. Presumably, this also could involve nominal participation on the part of the developer (architect/builder) in formulating the design. (Much of this is difficult to discuss because we don't have established Community Development Models. It might be useful to develop some abstractions that roughly define a typical development process.) The basic assumptions here are: * You can find a developer who does share your interests. * Arm-in-arm relationships are more likely to succeed than arm's length relationships. Consequently, the first problem might be in identifying interested developers. This may be particularly true in rural areas. Project Experiences It is useful to document the experience of cohousing projects to help ground this discussion in reality and discover new twists on the themes developed here.Community Development Models
This page is seen as a starting point for developing more formal models for cohousing community development. In talking about cohousing communities, I keep running into a basic problem of an imprecise vocabulary and few reference points aside from the set of books offering informal models of the processes and the products. These informal models have provided many insights and advanced the "theories of cohousing" remarkably. They are treasured by the cohousing communities. However, it might be an opportune time to convert some aspects these informal approaches into more formal structures that make us think more carefully about what is well understood, partially understood and vaguely understood. Do I think that cohousing can be rendered completely by a formal model? No. It is a large, complex and evolving field and may never be captured by a static model. Do I think it is useful to try to model at least some parts of it? Yes. Though any specific model (or set of models) will be inadequate, it offers, at least, an evolving language that might make discussions more fruitful. It may also be a learning tool for those stumbling in the dark as we have been. As a former software developer by trade, I have always been humbled by the complexity of the problems I have had to undertake. One of the ways of handling that complexity has been to try to model the problem. Even if not always successful, the modeling effort has always been educational. What I am wondering is whether that exercise in this very complex world might have similar rewards. In trying to write about other aspects of community development, I have struggled to find the right terms or concepts and then use them consistently. It has not been easy. What I sense is missing might be some shared models, however imperfect they may prove to be. That is what this page is about--trying to diagram some of the facets of a multi-faceted object like a community in its various stages of being: emerging, forming, constructing and operating. Perhaps, these aren't even the right phases. Anyone else's additions, corrections, perfections will be greatly appreciated. So what is a model? It is a simplified representation of some not very simple object or process. Modeling techniques have been converging for some time on a uniform modeling language (UML). This is probably the most productive approach. The tools (generally diagrams) are well understood and do seem to make sense most of the time. That will be my starting point here.Community List
Note: This article (and the "Geo List") were removed since the Cohousing Directory at Coho/US does a much better job. See also Cohousing OrganizationsDocument Library
See also cohousing policy database Proposed many times on the Cohousing-L list, a public repository of cohousing documents was finally started in February 2007 with the launching of http://wiki.cohousing.org. Its purpose is to catalogue document, processes, structures, and other information related to the forming, growth, and operation of a cohousing development to allow new groups to use the accumulated knowledge of established cohousing groups. This page is intended to simply be the nucleus of the Document Library, allowing it to grow and expand organically. Legal Documents Homeowner Association (HOA) Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CCRs) or Declaration These are the formal legal documents which describe the rights and obligations of owners of property within a homeowner's association. Example Documents: Liberty Village CCRs . . Bylaws Quincy DRAFT bylaws See also Cohousing-L message : Non-Legal Documents House Rules Membership Policy A Membership Policy documents all aspects of community membership, including but not limited to: * requirements to join a group * process of joining * membership rights, duties, and responsibilities * membership termination and revokation process Group Decision Process Participation Agreements PA from Swan's Market Cohousing, Oakland, CAGames to play in cohousing
A compilation of games from Rick Gravrock of Monterey Cohousing in MinneapolisGrand River Intentional Communities
Grand River Intentional Communities (GRIC) is a cohousing support, education, and promotion group dedicated to fostering the formation of intentional community groups in the Waterloo Region of South-West Ontario, Canada. This includes cohousing, retrofit cohousing, ecovillages, and other local intentional community groups. GRIC will share resources, meals, friendship, and assist in any way we can. History 2006 GRIC was co-founded by Stephen Wilson and Pauline Richards under the name Kitchener-Waterloo Area Retrofit Cohousing (KWARC). KWARC had an initial meeting of 5 people in June 2006, including the co-founders and one family relation. The meeting produced a very positive discussion and visioning session. It was decided that the next meeting should be a shared, vegetarian-friendly potluck meal and meeting combination, a tradition that continued for the remainder of 2006. Meetings would be on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. On November 25, 2006, GRIC hosted their first cohousing public information session at First Unitarian Church in Waterloo. It began with a vegetarian organic spaghetti dinner, and was followed by presentations by Dorothy Mazeau of the Canadian Cohousing Network and Wendy Pearle, outgoing president of FROG of the Ecovillage at Ithaca. Approximately 40 people, including GRIC regulars, attended the event. See Public Infomation Events. The last meeting of 2006 was a movie night held on December. After the movie an impromptu meeting broke out, in which it was decided that the monthly meetings should be set for the 13th of each month. This would change the day of the week of each meeting every month, allowing those with events scheduled for weekday evenings to be able to make meetings once in a while. 2007 During the January 13, 2007 meeting it was decided to split the monthly meeting into two separate meetings; one for business and one for socializing. The business meeting would be held on the 13th day of each month, causing it to fall of different days of the week each month. This was to allow for those with prior weekly committments to be able to attend meetings periodically, without a long-term schedule conflict. The social meeting would be held on the last Saturday of each month. See Meetings. Shared Meals Since the second meeting of the group, GRIC has always met around sharing meals together. Early on it was established that the meals would be vegetarian-friendly to be accessible to as many people as possible. Meetings GRIC holds two monthly events; a business meetings entitled Nuts & Bolts on the 13th of each month, and a social gathering entitled Bells & Whistles on the last Saturday of each month. Locations and times are different for each meeting, and may be pre-empted by other events or holidays. One member family additionally hosts potluck meals every Wednesday night at their home, entitled Bits & Bites. Nuts & Bolts Nuts & Bolts is the monthly business meeting for GRIC. Bells & Whistles Bells & Whistles is the monthly social event for GRIC. It typically includes a potluck meal. Public Infomation Events In order to grow its membership and promote cohousing publicly, GRIC hosts public information sessions periodically. April 28, 2007, 12-3pm * Location: TBA * Event: vegetarian organic spaghetti dinner with presentations * Presenters: TBA November 25, 2006, 5-8pm * Location: First Unitarian Church in Waterloo * Event: vegetarian organic spaghetti dinner with presentations * Presenters: ** Dorothy Mazeau of the Canadian Cohousing Network ** Wendy Pearle, outgoing president of FROG of the Ecovillage at Ithaca Local Cohousing Projects Laurel Creek Commons The first cohousing project to be launched from GRIC was Laurel Creek Commons. Laurel Creek Commons seeks to build a new cohousing development in Waterloo Region based on the concept of the glass-enclosed pedestrian mall as seen in Denmark's Jystrup Savvareket and Langley, B.C.'s Windsong. Retrofit Cohousing Many GRIC members are pursuing the creation of a retrofit cohousing project in Waterloo. Contact GRIC If you are in or around Waterloo Region and wish to join GRIC or attend a meeting, you can join the Grand River Intentional Communities Yahoo! group or contact xxxx Links * http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GrandRiverIC/ Grand River Intentional Communities Yahoo! group * http://www.waterloo.city.on.ca/ the City of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada * http://www.kitchener.city.on.ca/ the City of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada * http://www.waterloo.region.on.ca/ the Region of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Mission Statement We will create a new cohousing community in Waterloo as a local interpretation of Denmark's Jystrup Savvaerket and Langely, B.C.'s Windsong. Vision Statement Our community will be a beacon of vibrant community life and sustainable urban living. Status New members are being sought to gain the critical mass required to purchase land. Laurel Creek Commons is in the process of forming a membership structure, and as yet has no legal structure. One participating household has extensive experience from FROG at the Ecovillage at Ithaca. To shorten LCC's development time, adoption and adaptation of FROG's structures, policies, and documentation is being examined. History Laurel Creek Commons is the first project to come out of Grand River Intentional Communities. The idea to develop a new cohousing project in Kitchener-Waterloo was first announced in August 2006. An amateur Project design proposal was completed to display during Grand River Intentional Communities's first public information event. The inaugural kick-off meeting was held on Sunday, March 11th, 2007 in Kitchener, Ontario. Those in attendance are seriously jazzed at getting their project off the ground. Documents November 2006 project design study/proposal by Andrew Netherton: * site proposal * building * levels of building Links * Laurel Creek Commons record at icdb.org. * Laurel Creek Commons record at ic.org * Windsong Cohousing, Langley, British Columbia, Canada * Another project designed along similar lines is Pacific Gardens Cohousing in Nanaimo, British Columbia, CanadaMembership Policy
A membership policy documents all aspects of community membership. Membership policies could include: * process of joining * requirements to join a community (including financial obligations) * membership rights, duties, and responsibilities * membership termination and revokation processMission Statements
Mission statements and similar documents form the formal basis of consensus of what kid of community a group plans to build and gives new members a basis for deciding if they would fit in. Feel free to add links documents your community is willing to share. Group Statements 11/17/06 Elder Grace Mission and 'Would you fit' QuestionaireModular construction
This page was started 1/19/07 by searching the Cohousing-L archives for "modular" paring down to most relevant links and extracting short quotes... One can find just messages in the archives with relevant subjects lines by searching for: +subject:Modular housing One can also find all messages on a given date using Archives by date 22 May 93 The Cantine's Island cohousing group will be building twelve modular houses in Saugerties, New York (northeast Ulster County). msg00133 11 Nov 94 update msg01951 19 Aug 97 update msg07041 Cambridge Cohousing March 26, 1998 built with modular components msg07982 Libertytown, Maryland, the first modular home occupied in January 1999. msg08620 5 Feb 1999 Cambridge Cohousing was built using modular construction townhouses, stacked apartments, and the commonhouse msg09303 7 Feb 1999 CambridgeCohousing modular system ... has been a less than stellar success. msg09309 24 Feb 1999 book: Building Innovation for Homeownership includes projects with modular construction msg09370 14 Jul 2002 weblink to what seems like a clever inner urban modular design: msg16047 9 Oct 2002 Great Oak Cohousing in Ann Arbor, MI using modular construction (Royal Homes) msg16494 msg21585 msg24018 msg24574 13 Oct 2004 Touchstone - the third cohousing community in Ann Arbor built using a modular home builder msg20720 msg21832 duane@ Wonderland Hill Develpment Co 27 Jun 2005: There are a ton of great pre-fab homes on the market today. msg21826 29 Jun 2005 Metro Cohousing in St. Louis will be using modular construction. msg21831 12 Jul 2005 Catoctin Creek Village (Taylorstown, VA), we are building detached homes using the modular construction method. msg21873 7 Oct 2006 North Oakland Cohousing using modular (pre-fab) housing from Canadian manufacturer msg24557 msg24572 how to take a standard modular home and inexpensively .. style msg24565 14 Jan 2008 modular homes for affordable housing msg27245 17 Jan 2008 construction from structurally insulated panels (SIPs) msg27269 18 Jan 2008 SIPs in construction at Legacy Farm cohousing in Rosendale, NY. our architect, Bruce Coldham msg27270Retrofit Cohousing
Retrofit Cohousing is developed in existing housing by changing the way the occupants of that housing relate - usually with new occupants moving in to participate in the community. Retrofiting the social relations and not necessarily the structures. See this old page: Fred's Retrofit Cohousing page 3/07 C-L msg about Mayfair Mayfair Village in Denver is retrofitting 1940's row housesStories about life in cohousing
Stories about life in cohousing give a feel for what it is like and what that overused term "sense of community" really means. This article provides links to such stories: * Collection of stories from cohousing-L from 1995-2002 * Kids won him over