This group is the first CoHousing group formed in the United States. The originators were at a slide show presented by Chuck and Katie when they were still doing their research in Denmark. I joined them a couple years later and the community was not built until 9 years after that!!
Although I did not actually move into the community, the lessons learned from the process of working with a group of people in such an intense and intentional manner has been powerful and life changing.
In the early days the group had not even identified a piece of land. That meant that there was really only one thing to focus on and that was the group dynamic. I think that it was this early intentional experience that has made this group so tight. It was what eventually allowed the group to remain integral as it surmounted troubles and difficulties down the road that would have blown most groups apart.
We were fortunate to have some advisors who had been elder spritual leaders at the Findhorn community. They gave us the tools that we needed to posses in order to reach consensus and remain inclusive. The next 7 years of procurring land, working through the internal planning and governmental planning processes were only opportunities to hone our skills and not landmines to blow us apart.
Something magic happens when people start thinking of the design they want for the spaces that are outside their control. We have become accustomed to drawing a box around ourselves, calling it home and being masters of our domains. But what about the spaces between the domains? Normally we entrust that to cities and municipalities, but they always plan for maximum privacy… what if you want maximal intimacy. What if giving some of your personal space is not a net loss but instead is a net gain. All the wooden fences in modern suburbs are a waste of resorces and the bars of jail cell. There is probably a better way and we have no idea what it is until we band with our neighbors and create it.
I think that given land prices these days, the creation of new CoHousing communites may be nearly impossible, but what about “CoHousing Everywhere.” Just change the nature of the relationships of the current occupants of your current neighborhood!!
See some of my other entries about dinnergroups
