Have any Mustachians participated in or given thought to the parallels with Cohousing? (
http://cohousing.org)
The notion of living in smaller footprints, sharing more resources among groups of like-minded people, focusing time and effort on improving the community are all compatible with many of Pete Adeney's goals. This may be an easy way to bring about mini "urban tribes" in cities across the globe. From Cohousing.org:
Cohousing is an intentional community of private homes clustered around shared space. Each attached or single family home has traditional amenities, including a private kitchen. Shared spaces typically feature a common house, which may include a large kitchen and dining area, laundry, and recreational spaces. Shared outdoor space may include parking, walkways, open space, and gardens. Neighbors also share resources like tools and lawnmowers.
Households have independent incomes and private lives, but neighbors collaboratively plan and manage community activities and shared spaces. The legal structure is typically an HOA, Condo Association, or Housing Cooperative. Community activities feature regularly-scheduled shared meals, meetings, and workdays. Neighbors gather for parties, games, movies, or other events. Cohousing makes it easy to form clubs, organize child and elder care, and carpool.
See this webpage for a cohousing example in Portland, OR. They have communal tool libraries, small gyms/yoga studios, bicycle workshops, guest housing, and a large diining facility:
http://www.daybreakcohousing.org/SiteandDesign.htmlI've read a bit about studies that have shown reduced consumption of electricity, less production of waste, and communities sharing cars in Cohousing scenarios.
If you're interested in learning more in podcast form, here's an Urban Planning Professor from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte discussing the basics:
https://ui.uncc.edu/story/cohousing-podcast-robert-boyer-uncc. I'd be interested to hear experiences from any Mustachians who have tried this - I'd love to see a community begin here.