Thoughts on Intentional Communities

     In class we were subjected to the benefits and horrors of intentional communities through a documentary called "Visions of Utopia". The spectrum of intentional communities contains various hues, in that on the one hand a golf course community is an intentional community, and on the other hand we see a communal lifestyle within an ecovillage. The common thread is a shared vision. Instead of regurgitating thoughts already discussed in class, I will briefly speak on my two experiences living in intentional communities.

Living Learning Center - Boone, NC

     My first experience in an intentional community was at Watauga College, now called Watauga Global Community, at Appalachian State University. Watauga is an interdisciplinary honors program at ASU, and its headquarters where I lived my freshman year, is called the Living Learning Center (affectionately known as the LLC).

Living Learning Center (http://housing.appstate.edu/pagesmith/111)

     This place was awesome. Imagine a fraternity and sorority of around 100 people living, eating, and studying together. I can't tell you how many times intense conversation poured out of those doors and onto the courtyard. For our core classes, we often met in each floor's kitchen / gathering areas. At our own cafeteria, we ate alongside other students and faculty. In the foreground, the early working of an edible schoolyard are at work. I gained a great deal from this community., but it wasn't without its problems. Some students were upset about the fact that three times a week they were forced to eat their meal at the LLC. In all communities, there is a personal sacrifice of freedoms. In this case, I was more than willing to limit my lunch options in order to have a dining facility where I lived and learned.

Earthaven Ecovillage - Asheville, NC

     My second experience with intentional communities was certainly different,  although at times very similar to the LLC - something about the hora surrounding a group of hip minded individuals. I went to Earthaven Ecovillage, outside of Asheville, NC, to participate in a live/work internship at Medicine Wheel Collective Household. (Note the sweet solar golf cart that went 2mph)

                                                                                 The Medicine Wheel                                                                                                     (http://www.otherfamily.net/gallery2/v/users/Swiftness/Earthaven/Sara/009+Medicine+Wheel+house.JPG.html)

       I wanted to learn permaculture, and I thought I knew what that would entail.. I was searching for this "knowledge" of permaculture  that would enable me to produce food using the most sustainable methods available today. Although I knew permaculture was more than a just a gardening technique, I had no idea how much more it was simply a way of living. I say I couldn't live like that, yet I have found myself reflecting on my experience at least weekly since I left. It wasn't the green technologies or the sustainable farming practices I fell in love with there, it was the people.
   
      It was the dinners we shared, how I helped Rudy to mill wood for the construction of his new house or helped Patricia build her Cobb house. It was nightly tea with the Brits Nick and Mira, getting philosophical with Lyndon, utilizing some of River Otter's herbal remedies for poison ivy, or taking a break from building a stone patio with Mellisa  to get a chilled watermelon out of the creek that I enjoyed so much.

Conclusions
 
     What's LA's role within the realm of intentional communities. I see two opportunities at hand, our role as designers and our role as organizers. Within these roles lies the physical form, the creation of community, and the interrelations between them.

     In terms of the physical form, building materials, greywater systems, and renewable energy are at the forefront. At times, their aesthetics and preconceptions limit their application. As designers, we can use a different facade and a different name. I believe that in doing so they can be highly successful in a market full of people searching to live more sustainably. For example, the pictures below contrast earlier cob houses at Earthaven with the newest edition, "Leela".

                                                                                                      Leela                                                                                                        (http://www.mycobhouse.com/2011/04/23/pictures-from-earthaven-eco-village-tour/)



                                                                                                    Hut Hamlet                                                                                              (http://www.otherfamily.net/gallery2/v/users/Swiftness/Earthaven/Sara/008+Hut+Hamlet+neighborhood.JPG.html)                                                                                                                                          

 I would feel a lot more confident selling a client on "Leela" than a home from the Hut Hamlet because of sheer aesthetics. "Leela" is beautiful.


      The second group of elements go hand in hand with community building. Community gardens and kitchens, for example, are easy to propose but require a physical investment from community members. These elements come back to the shared vision of the community, and these pieces must be desired to work. Even at Serenbe, an agricultural community with a CSA farm on site, the citizens have yet to gain enough interest for a community garden. Our role is a lot harder when it comes to these elements because if we build it they may actually not come. Here we leave the role as designers and become community organizers through the charrette process. This process is uglier than our pretty pictures, but the implications are huge. This is where a rich community is conceived.

So what can we take from all this? I would ask you what is your utopia? I bet other people share a similar vision. Find them. Create it. If you don't want to put all of your hard earned money into a pot, don't! This is your vision of utopia. It can be whatever you want it to be, and that's the beauty of it.