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

[terpsichoros.livejournal.com]

My comment got so long, I made it an entry on my g-blog rather than answering here. Suffice it to say here that I'm rather skeptical of combining "intentional community" and Faire Folk.

:)

[themusecalliope]

Call me Idealistic, but I have always wanted something like that.

[ribbin.livejournal.com]

If I know you, I'm not aware of it:P I'm Anselm, friend of Liz'. Community: I think it would be a hoot! I've been playing with the idea myself, being essentially an entirely medieval village with no modern conveniences except where absolutely necesary (medicine, fire extinguishers, condoms, etc). Things like heating and a/c would be done the old way, riding horses, wearing home made clothes, etc. The idea being not so much a commune like atmosphere so much as a chance for curious people as well as intelectuals to get together and see what it really felt like back then. Was it really days of backbreaking labor, or is there something to the romantic stories of peasants living it up in the tavern?
I would like to avoid pretentions such as "period" accents, since that would detract from the actual living, while focusing on making things feel nature. I think the Amish communities could be an enormous help here.
That being said, I do like the idea of opening it up to the public for money (modern land taxes, etc), though with more of a re-enactment focus than a faire focus.
What say you?

-Anselm

[archangelkhaos.livejournal.com]

I've had such a concept running around in my head for a LONG time. Building a community/society intentionaly, from the foundation stones and law structure up. Sigh...

[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

[japlady.livejournal.com]

Well being Israeli, Kibbutzim are pretty much all dying at this point, from many standpoints the model didn't work. Mushaving are doing a bit better, but not much.

Kibbutz, commune basically -- the group owns everything, and everything is shared evenly.

Mushav, co-operative living... everyone owns their own stuff, including their homes, but there is a lot of ways where they utilize efficiencies of scale. My mother was a Mushavnic growing up.

Very tired right now and only responding briefly because you asked for my two cents. You start getting into issues of -- well to be blunt there are groups with which this could work but it has to be a group of people where folks thing about the group BEFORE they think of themselves and thats kind of rare in the US.