Intentional Communities

Chatting with a friend the other day about the rising cost of living, we mused about ideas surrounding communal living for the Baby Boomer generation. As synchronicity would have it, I was browsing the Dollar Stretcher e-newsletter a few days later and came across an article about communal living in retirement. Turns out there is quite an "Intentional Community" movement going on out there! The University of New Mexico is hosting a 3-day workshop on "the evolution of cooperative, sustainable culture" May 30 - June 1. And the 2008 National Cohousing Conference is being held in Boston June 12 - 15. Did you know Chico has its very own cohousing project? Valley Oaks Village is a 28-unit community on 4.6 acres on Wild Oak Lane (corner of Forest Avenue and E. 8th Street). You can take a little photo tour here. The project was designed by architect Michael Black, who currently resides in the Yulupa Cohousing project in Santa Rosa with his wife Alexandra Hart. For five years prior to that, they lived in the "Two Acre Wood Cohousing" project in Sebastopol, which he also designed. Cohousing has come a long way since projects like "The Farm" (in operation in Tennessee since 1971!) Check out the ChicoLaura website at www.ChicoLaura.com