This is part of a series of articles in regard to building an intentional community. You can find all chapters here. Also, this is a draft, a point of starting the conversation so i encourage you to get involved.

We are not owners of anything, we are just stewards of life. In this role we care about the land, the people, the sustainability of this ecosystem and of the community.

For this reason we separate ownership in public and private domain. The two domains differ in the level of involvement from community members and by the entities that own and use them. A Community land trust (CLT) owns all land, public buildings and infrastructure and manages them with the involvement of all community members. Each home is built with the involvement of the CLT, and privately owned and managed by the permanent members of the community.

The separation is necessary for reasons of affordability and sustainability of the project. The CLT consists of all community members and also can include investors and future community members. All homes use in perpetuity the land that they are built on, but the land belongs to the CLT since it is not divisible. By using natural and local materials, community human power, and advice and knowledge of the CLT, waste, energy use and price will also be lowered while taking care of the ecosystem. By separating the public and private domain we ensure the privacy of the life of members while providing a consistent environment for development of the community. Since the land the house is built on belongs to the CLT the homes can’t be part of the open market so not susceptible to market manipulation while preserving equity.

So how will this look? This is an intentional community, permanently inhabited, that will include individual homes sprinkled on the land so people are within walking distance but have space for intimacy. Between the homes there will be orchids, vegetable gardens, greenhouses, workshops, office space, the public kitchen, the school house, animal pens, apiary and other amenities that we will decide by consent. Walkways will connect all areas, and at the edge there will be a parking area. Kids will run free alongside our pets without any fences that will separate us from nature. When new members join wil build together new homes if necessary. When someone decides to leave the CLT will either buy the home or ensure that the future member share the same vision, values and are a good fit for the community.

Cover photo by Kelly from Pexels.