Intentional Community

[ragani]

I really want to create/participate in an intentional community. It has been one of my dreams for years, and one that I still want to see as a reality. Especially when(if) I become a parent. This would be such a great environment to be raised as a child.

My mom sent me a link to Dragonvale, an intentional community being developed in Main. We could so do something like this here is we could find the land (and in the bay area, that is a big if).

This concept of an intentional community has a lot of appeal, although it is not the reason I want to be part of one, and I am not sure that it is the kind I would want to develop myself.

What do you think, guys, can you imagine our very own sustainable community with a Renaissance Faire built in? And if so, what should we call it?

Comments

[zhaneel69.livejournal.com]

That particular community sounds pie-in-the-sky strange and entirely unrealistic in its expectations for humans and their ability to be annoying.

I like the idea of intentional communities. Or at least some sort of community living. I've heavily discussed them with Miss_Emelia & her boy. I've attended panels on different ways of accomplishing this. I learned about the importance of community:personal space ratio.

My current ideal (dream) would be the following:

A large tract of land where several homes could be built in addition to a few community buildings. Central area for playing that all the homes face. This would be where I would live, in a home with my husband & children, at least. Hopefully another couple & their children too [depending on desires & sexuality]. The community would be mainly families [couples and couples + kids]. Everyone would still have their jobs in the nearby area and we would only be a small group [12 families] that lived either within city limits or on the outskirts of a city in county land.

My more realistic idea:

Finding a duplex or two homes next to each other and coordinating efforts that my family and another dear family would live next to each other.

I almost have that now with Terson & Aneska living two doors away. We have dinner once every other week or so, carpool to events together, and just hang out randomly. When Vrisha & Dragon & Dragonette [8 year old daughter to Dragon] recently stayed over for 4 days, it was like a dream come true (in some ways). The adults worked together to keep the child occupied, clean, cook, and just exist. Space was shared, meals were a joy, and smiles & laughter filled the apartment(s).

I do very much want to find another family and find a way to have two families in one home. The idea of many adults & their children appeals to me greatly [village raising].

Zhaneel

[ribbin.livejournal.com]

I grew up in Clovis (essentially a suburb of Fresno), and still have strong ties to that area. There are several "co-ops" there, the prime example of which consists of four families who bought adjacent properties (two and two on two paralells streets, making a square) and simply tore down the fences and called the yard common ground. Houses are still strictly private, but just about everything (pool, hot tub dancehall (Yes, DANCEHALL!), gardens, bamboo thicket, dove cote, are all shared.

[ragani.livejournal.com]

Now, that is one model that I have head about that does appeal to me. There is one in Davis much like this. What a great idea to have a shared dancehall! I can think of lots of friends who would like that.