Deliberate Communities

So, in a effort to bring the cost of the Gaiaship Project down to something approaching 'reasonable' levels, I've been exploring how *small* a self 'sustainable' group of people could be without insane overhead. Remember, the ideal is that the system supports itself with on site power generation, a high percentage of water recycling; advanced waste management systems and even retail.

I've latched onto a burgeoning trend: Co-Housing. Co-housing is the concept of a deliberate community. A group of people who come together on purpose to build a shared living space. Every time I say something like that - people think Commune or Cult. While I can't dismiss those extreme instances of this concept, Co-housing is more that a group of people come together to design a condo complex where the clubhouse happens to be extra spiffy. Meals are shared regularly in the big common kitchen. Multiple large rooms offer entertainment options and gathering spaces that the condo's themselves just cannot offer. Everyone lives their own lives; but the 'Home owners association' is particularly active and participation and volunteering in community activities and upkeep is expected, or even required.

Since I was very very young; I've been envisioning places like this. From the first concept, which I can still remember, of a ring of stand alone houses - just like you find on any suburban lot connected by tunnels (remember - I was *young* and tunnels just seemed like the most awesome solution) to a semi-subterranean shared living space, galley & bomb shelter. Yup, like most boys I wanted a fort... though I took a more modern view and thought about where we would store the guns and whether the central bunker could withstand nuclear war, Mayan calendars and major natural disasters.

While I haven't given up my tendency to think beyond the fold of normal everyday living; I've tempered my survivalist with the pragmatist that says that it's freaking expensive to harden against the _insert doomsday prediction here_ and I'll just settle for high levels of resistance to natural and social disasters... say like New Orleans and Haiti could have used. Food generation on-site is a big part of that and you probably can see from my other discussions of the Gaiaship how the Vertical Farm would likely work out.

Bringing it back to the small scale - what's a condo complex look like that is sustainable? Lets churn through the major Ideas and see what comes out.

Solid Waste management is the biggest and probably first thing to go. I just don't see a functional waste disposal system scaling down to the 20 or so living units this probably entails. Municipal waste disposal and all it's ills would be necessary.

Retail onsite? Possible. There should be a central shipping & receiving area for internet based purchases to make it easier on the delivery men. A bit of retail space at the edge of the property run by several of the members might also be feasible and be able to bring in income and convenience for the housing complex. Think coffee shop, perhaps a convenience store.

Fluid and organic waste on the other hand could probably scale well to the low levels a complex like this would put out. The major solids like food waste sent down sink disposals along with poo and its associated tissue paper could be relatively quickly processed into an organic fertilizer like Dillo Dirt. So much would likely be generated that it would need to either be disposed of or sold. Some could be used in the on-site gardens but the inputs to this system would be much greater than the demands any garden complex could put on it. Add a couple of big filters and you could recycle grey and even black water to some significant degree.

Power - no brainer. A decent grid tied solar panel system could supply all the power the complex needs. The burning of waste gas from the waste stream could possibly be used... but I'd guess that local municipal rules against things like this would be hard to overcome for a small complex. Throw in a couple of small wind turbines for those cold, cloudy windy days and nights and you'd have a solid renewable supplement.

So far it looks like a retail and significant warehouse like component would be necessary to make this a reality. Do-able, especially if you stack living arrangements above them; and the gardens on the rooftops.

It's not as good sustainable wise - but perhaps it might be a bit more do-able finance wise.