Co-housing

[patmajia]

All over the world, "co-housing" communities are popping up. This means that families meet with and join other families in a group, live in a planned apartment style house, and sometimes share facilities such as a swimming pool or club house.

 

A couple years ago, I and my wife agreed with three other couples to buy a piece of land, and develop it so that our kids could grow up together. All of these couples were Armenian or half armenian, and the total number of kids is now 6.5 (one is due in April). This was to be non-profit (it costs what it costs). Our common denominator was that we were mostly Armenian (one odar wife in the mix), all had little babies, and are all practicing Christians, though we went to 3 different churches.

 

After a year and a half, two couples dropped out. And a third lost interest and seems to be sitting on the fence. The red tape getting through city hall has been awful...but let's say it was a learning experience.

 

Now after 2. 5 years, it looks like I am 6 months away from having 16 good sized individual lots (suitable for single family homes plus a mother in law house) in a 9 acre gated community in a pretty good part of Fresno, a common play area the size of a football field, and site for a 5000 sf club house.

 

Only problem is, everyone else who started with my wife and I, is not committed any more. My wife now doubts there are that many Christian families with little kids around who can live in the same neighborhood. My extended family tells me I was too idealistic in the first place. "Sell. Take the money. Put it in the bank. Retire early" is what I hear. "Christians are no different from anyone else." "You're going to have nothing but a big headache even if you get that many families to live in the same neighborhood."

 

So what do you all think. Was I nuts the whole time to think people could plan to live in the same neighborhood? Is it better to live relatively anonymously in a neighborhood? Is it sane to drive 7 miles to visit a friend? Is it sensible that a mother with small children should feel lonely while her husband is at work because the folks next door are...well..not in the same stage of life. Is it sane to let the kids grow up with all the vyreni mixed up kids out there?

 

I know many of you think that I have a nice problem, having made about 2 million dollars on paper in my spare time in less than three years....by accident because prices went up and everyone else just gave up.

 

But that is not the issue. What I am asking is if Christian people really can live next door to eachother in a little neighborhood and benefit from it....especially the kids. Heck, that club house could even double as a little school!!

 

Can Armenian's do it.....outside of Armenia? I guess it happens all the time in Glendale and Hollywood doesn't it??? Or do they live anonymously next door to eachother?

 

So there it is. What do you think? Is a planned community doomed from the start because people are fragile and weak, afraid of being who they are around others they know, and accustomed to the routine ways of living in this world? And if so, why are similar communities actually popping up all over? (Do a search for Co-housing on the internet and you'll be amazed.)

[Sip]

You said "Christian" like 4 times ... seems like it's a fairly important criterion in your "community". If so, how do you define a "Christian"?

 

I think the answer to your question really depends on your pickiness about a community. Otherwise, any group of people living close together can be considered a community if you define the term broad enough.

 

By the way, at the "mother in law house"

[Anahit]

The kids shouldn't be kept away from the real/outside world: THERE ARE GONNA FACE IT ONE DAY ANYWAY! I have met kids who were never allowed to meet different kids: had to live in their christian communities. They have many many problems now,don't know how to behave in society, some of them lack normal attitude... Some of such kids usually run away from the parents as soon as become 16-17 (i know few like that), and blame parents for all the nice chilhood memories they don't have, the ordinary child's life, like going to a normal school, having arguments with other kids and learning from them... One man told me, that when he and his brothers faced the real world, they were shocked and had many problems (and still have), cause they found out that nothing is the way they had been told in the community. in order to become a strong, whole person, one must live and grow up in open society, tast the "sweetness, spiciness, sourness and bitterness of life" like chinese like saying.

[patmajia]

You said "Christian" like 4 times ... seems like it's a fairly important criterion in your "community". If so, how do you define a "Christian"?

 

I think the answer to your question really depends on your pickiness about a community. Otherwise, any group of people living close together can be considered a community if you define the term broad enough.

 

By the way, at the "mother in law house"

[patmajia]

Regarding the word "Christian", I think that a definition can be readily found by reviewing the teaching and Dogmas of Armenian Orthodoxy, or even "mainstream" non-ethnic churches. It certainly implies "not Muslim, not Hare Krishna, not Scientologist, not Moron, not Jehovah's witness, and so on. "Christian" community members would imply some basic common paradigms and world views.

 

Regarding the "mother in law" house, even taking that literally, many people still believe in caring for their parents when they are unable to care for themselves any longer. This is very traditional. Also, a home owner could opt not to build one, or build one as an office or guest house.

[gamavor]

This type of residential liivng was first introduced in Belgium in mid 1930 if I'm not mistaken and provides the best environment for healthy family and social life. It was called cooperation. There were few issues of legal concern as to the ownership of the common habitat areas of the building as well as common or suplementary infrastructure. Acctually the modern apartment complexes are nothing but modification of these cooperations. Unlike the coops, where the members of the habitat own and govern the living premises the apartment complex is owned by a company with its own set of rules and maintainance ordinances.

 

This type of housing is still very popular in Europe (Eastern Europe especially).