My idea of a new type of community that results in high community interaction–a return to hyper localization. In some ways, like the Amish / Kibbutz communities, but more modern and focused on active interaction between community members, less sheltered, and far less regulated.
Would only work for the right kind of people (not a lot out there perhaps), but maybe the tradeoff is trading a lower home price offset by a higher bar of entry (like becoming a Chickfilet franchise owner). Selling at a really low price (e.g. at cost) in order to attract the best people sounds good to me, esp if we can turn communities into revenue generators too somehow.
Ideological Goals
- Bring people together: a real community that spends time interacting
- Personal accountability: minimize outsourcing
- Autonomy: Reduce dependence on outside world
- Efficiencies at the local level: reduce redundancy, make economically competive
- Clean: Reduce waste
- Flexible: For improving over time.
- Family Centric: E.g. parents and grandparents live in the communty.
Ultimately there are some economies of scale but prob not as big as the outside world, but the tradeoff is passionate, motivated people.
People who trade a second job for teaching their kids.
People who trade free time and 8 hours a day of TV/Facebook for creating value, and more human interaction.
General Ideas for the Micro Town Square model:
- A large square (8 – 24 homes?) where each family has a couple of acres or whatever is needed to grow their own food. Not sure how to ensure people actually grow things, but the idea that working in the garden gives us exercise perhaps.
- In the middle is the common area (town square):
- a small school taught by parents (a.k.a. homeschool, leadership, project based learning, Montessori, etc…),
- small park
- buildngs double as a small church. I think the Amish do this.
- an office for work from home guys like us,
- mini farmers market (for any food grown in the square), exercise equipment, pool, etc…
- Shared tools/equipment– paid for by HOA fees-you know the “shared economy” but without middlemen.
- communal laundry
- Cooking faciltes / or even a small cafeteria run by communty members to save time on cooking
- A couple tractors
- Would like to reduce technology in the home (e.g. TV, devices) but not sure.
- Minimal “rules” – more libertarian.
- A system that says, you can either contribute time (free) or money to the rest of the community who are contributing time (e.g. $200/mo, and is based on communty votes). This way its flexible and dynamic. Not sure about this one, but something to consider.
Maybe the way to approach this is to survey a target audience with a list of goals, values, and problems they see in their own life because I find there is a lot of overlap out there with many ideas (e.g. famlies that don’t really watch TV).
Expert Diagram:
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Actual home structures may not so important, but this model is very interesting and could contribute greatly to community participation of home building –might try one with my kids someday:
https://www.openbuildinginstitute.org/buildings/
https://www.opensourceecology.org/open-building-institute-nears-launch/
” Our standard model costs under $25k for materials for a 700 square foot, expandable Starter Home. But you can build a structure of any size, larger or smaller.” including an aquaponics greenhouse attached to the house! Around here you’d want to create it a “passive house” as well (meaning no heating or cooling needed).
Im guessing that 3D printing and micronizing tech is going to make these DIY communities more possible n the future.
HumanIT 