K1 community-building round the campfire

Camping and glorious autumn weather don’t usually go together in the same sentence. But
muddy wellies were nowhere in sight as the sun shone down on us all in the Cambridgeshire
countryside.

What's in a “Lane”...?

A “Road” by any other name ...

The Oxford English Dictionary says it's “a narrow road especially in a rural area”.

In cohousing terms it's definitely a lot more!

Our K1 Anniversary – A Voyage of Discovery Part.1

“Well, if nothing comes of it all we've lost is £100”.

That’s what we told each other just before we joined on 23rd August 2013. Almost two years to the day.

Triggered by an article in the Guardian, which highlighted the option of cohousing as a possible solution for the increasing loneliness and disconnection amongst people in general and the elderly in particular, we started to think about our situation. Although hale and hearty just turned 60 year olds, we were both well aware that, as time passed, it might not always be the case. The future support of friends and family could be problematic and eventually there could be just one of us left! With one daughter, and no desire to become dependant elderly parents, we saw cohousing as a potential solution to ensure we stayed interested, lively and engaged in our community now and during our twilight years.

A group of people, eating together.

Sure, these days it’s more likely to be a group of people distractedly staring at one or several flickering screens, but they are together nonetheless. In the case of a group of people who have decided to live socially, it’s a good informal forum, even if the only topic under discussion may be the chefs cavalier use of salt. 

For me one of the most exciting parts of the cohousing idea has been the large group meals. Why? Put simply, it’s something I think I can help with.

Making decisions together

One of the key things about cohousing is that there are no dictators allowed.

But how does taking decisions together work in practice - and believe me there are hundreds of big and small ones that are needed when planning and designing a cohousing community.

Everything from the layout of the scheme to the style of the homes and the use of shared spaces. Even more important discussions have focused on how we'll all live together as a community when we finally move in.

We hope that what we're learning now about co-operative decisions, as we continue to plan and design, will put us in good stead for when we become a community of about 40 households, when the same principle of consensus will apply.

Why would an introvert be interested in cohousing?

“Oh I’d be interested in Cohousing, but my partner wouldn’t: they’re very introverted”.

This was an exchange I had a while ago when I mentioned my interest in the K1 cohousing community. I don’t mean to pick on this individual or suggest they were wrong: there are lots of reasons why cohousing wouldn’t be for some people.

But never-the-less, it came back to me today. Why would an introvert be interested in cohousing? Isn’t it about being around other people all the time?

I think this is a misunderstanding of both cohousing and introversion.