Greetings everyone. I wish to discuss ideas on how best to proceed with establishing a cohousing community, with considorations on financial, ethical, and structural matters. As I have little knowledge on such communites function, I hope to ask what approach has proven to be helpful in their experiances.
As for the community itself, the current concept involves the location being based within a city, developed with minimal resources by reposing a older building for use as housing. Financially, I am unsure how to proceed. I myself have experiance in machining, and could feasibly base some financial income through this skill, but not nearly enough to fund such a community and be expected to maintain it.
In regard to members, ideally I would be looking for people who possess trade skills such as me, but am not necessairly oppossed to members who do not. The reasoning for this is because in additon to aiding the community through use of their skills, they will have their own means of income through their trades, thus the desire to base this plan within or nearby a city.
As for the values and structure of this community, being able to self sufficant is ideal, and so the open sharing of knowledge and skills would be welcome and encouraged. As far leadership is concerned, I do not for certain. Everyone would ideally have a say in the function of the group, but the structure that is specfically desired is not certain.
One question I hope ask is the matter of leadership and financial stability. Neither of which I can claim to understand.
Assuming everyone plays an intimate role in the function of a community, why wouldn’t they have a say in its operation. A sole leader however, should be considored, a face from which the group can identify to.
Economic considorations are important. Some means of income that can support the group as a whole. How would this wealth be divided, how can such financial support be aquired for a unique circumstance?
Emotional \physical Safety, environmentally spacious and health conscious longevity in a tolerant, kind and ever seeking practical solutions in community. The rights and wrings must be in alignnent. No culty bull- ie. Maniacally brutish, psycho bullies, passice aggressive manipulation or narcissistic sociopaths. In other words we the peoples who got our stripes the hard way- by way of following tge golden rule. Love thyself.
I have marketable skills, experience and talents to offer in conscious community sustainble eco village or cohousing culture. I have a BS in liberal arts as well as masters in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Herbal Medicine and Integrative Nutritional consulting background. I love working on projects, am curious about processes and open to creative community.
@Seazen sorry for the late response. Do you happen to have knowledge on how to maintain a garden? One of the things I would want to look into is to be self sustainable.
As far as your skills are concerned, I’d imagine any community would greatly appreciate nutritional advice.
I have 2 plots in community gardens and li e in Austin where it’s been quite hot this summer. Managed to get the indigenous plants and herbs to grow. Root veggies are happy too. Peppers, tomatoes, okra, celery, pineapple, loquat, fig, … Masters in Chinese med. inspires at least a medicinal herb garden. Before living in Austin I was a native Californian and enjoyed a yard of avocados, guava, cruciferous, root veggies, celery, pomegranate, oranges . I eagerly hope for connections and lifelong friendships. We can talk and visit.
Re. rehabbing an old building, this has been done with a couple of cohousing communities in Portland. Columbia Ecovillage and Kailash Ecovillage both started with an old delapidated apartment building and made it nice again and community members live in it. So that is a viable approach if people starting the community have the funds to buy said old building.
Re. leadership, lots of communities use modified consensus, some larger communities use sociocracy, and there are possibly some that use general voting. Occasionally there is a central-leader community, Kailash Ecovillage is one, but the leader leaves a lot of the daily stuff up to people to decide, he doesn’t intervene or override things unless its very important to him. So there are various ways to do it.
Before living in Austin I was a native Californian and enjoyed a yard of avocados, guava, cruciferous, root veggies, celery, pomegranate, oranges 
. I eagerly hope for connections and lifelong friendships. We can talk and visit.