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From the
editor...
 This
Spring 2010 issue of Itineraries continues our
year-long focus on living in community which began in the Winter issue.
In that issue we explored the natural first step in
catalyzing community: the process of “Envisioning it.” In this issue we now turn to what’s important in “Building it.” Specifically, we look at the structures needed or options available – both architectural and organizational
– for building community.
There are several kinds of community projects, each with its characteristic architectural style. The article by Alex Mawhinney and one by wife-and-husband team, Jan Moran and Paul Rollins, give a good idea of the various options. Some of these are quite recent and innovative housing designs.
In a very engaging article by Ann Zabaldo, entitled
"Romancing the Developer," we discover the truth about the disadvantages in attempting to be our own developer. If you are serious about generating a community, please read this article!
This issue also includes articles on
the organizational structures used in community. For years, consensus
decision making was the dominant practice. And, as the article by Cinny Poppin
shows, this approach continues to work well for in some communities -- ElderSpirit Community in Abingdon, Virginia,
being a case in point.
Research, however, suggests that many more
communities struggle with the consensus model. An alternative
approach, Dynamic Governance (DG), appears very promising. As
you’ll see from the article by Larilee Suiter of Champlain Valley Cohousing in Vermont, DG offers
not just a good decision-making process, but a highly regarded organizational structure as well.
Dynamic Governance is
emphasized in this issue for two reasons: first, it’s new on the scene
and less familiar. And, secondly, I like it. I find it very
exciting to watch its emergence in the community movement. My enthusiasm
explains the last
article included in this issue: my own background piece on the origins
and application of DG -- or Sociocracy, as it is known in Europe.
Finally, we include with
this issue a special bonus take-away for you to download as a PDF-- a condensation of a wonderful presentation by
Elana Kann and Ann Zabaldo,
who are both founders of the communities they live in (Kann of Westwood Cohousing in Asheville, NC, and Zabaldo of Takoma Cohousing in Washington, DC ). They put together an
inventory of "Best Practice" for forming community groups and presented this information at the Mid-Atlantic Cohousing Conference held in Washington, DC, on March 20, 2010. What is presented here is a fraction of the
still-growing list they have put together.
I personally am excited about the growth of the community movement. This growth is largely from the boomer generation, those born between 1945 and 1964. As someone who is part of that generation and soon to be turning 60 myself, I also am very interested in making sure I have a quality lifestyle in my senior years, and this to me means living in community.
I believe it takes a healthy, caring village to properly care for people of any age. And living in such a community is not only preferable on a social, emotional level, but is far more economical and environmentally sustainable.
Creating a community is one thing. Making sure it is healthy and caring is quite another. My passion for community is focused on sustainability of the people and their relationships, which requires that they have good structures of support – both architectural and organizational. In large part fueled by boomer interest, we now have many good choices and guides along the way.
May this issue spark your interest and imagination for generating your own truly nurturing, community environment.
 Itineraries editor, Gayatri Erlandson, is a consultant and catalyst for collaborative community who lives in Asheville,
NC. She will be
co-facilitating a day-long
workshop on Awakening the
Storymaker on
Saturday, May 29, in
Asheville. See
the announcement at the end of this page
for further details and
registration information.
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John and Gregg will be joining the
Second Journey tour to Umbria and Tuscany this October. John, Second Journey’s
“philosopher in residence,” is emeritus professor of philosophy at Elon University where he taught for 36 years
and the author of The Spiral of the Seasons. Gregg retired ten years ago from her role as the Associate Director of the the Methodist Student Center at UNC. For 13 years, the Sullivans taught together a popular year-long Elon seminar for select juniors and seniors titled “Quest for Wholeness.”
The Earth as a Sacred Garden
