Intentional Communities

Historically, towns and cities have sprung up spontaneously in locations that were favorable for commerce. Bays, river mouths, mountain passes, mineral deposits, and a variety of other features have given rise to settlements. More recently, man-made structures such as rail centers and highway intersections have played a role.

Today, the Internet and numerous package delivery services have made such considerations far less significant. While urbanization has its advantages, we are becoming increasingly aware of its limitations. Without cheap oil, or viable energy alternatives, there is little doubt that our current patterns of population density are completely unsustainable.

Cities, at least in their present form, produce almost no food. Not only is it necessary to move produce long distances to supply them, but highly mechanized and energy-intensive agricultural methods are also required if a mere 1.4% of the workforce is to be employed in farming.

That is not to say that all intentional communities are rural. They are as varied as the goals of the people who form them, and may include anything from urban co-ops to Buddhist ashrams to right-wing paramilitary camps or anything else one can imagine. Some are formed by developers whose intention is apparently to maximize their own profits.

Intentional communities are not the stereotypical hippie communes, although a growing number can be classified as eco-villages, placing an emphasis on sustainable lifestyles. This may include green architecture, soil and water conservation, alternative energy production, voluntary simplicity, or all of those options.

Voluntary simplicity, like other terms describing these communities, can have a variety of meanings. I would place the emphasis on "voluntary." It is not a matter of doing without things you want, but rather of not wanting some of the things society at large has come to take for granted.

Subsistence farming is another term that is subject to misinterpretation. While "subsistence" may conjure up images of eking out a hardscrabble existence, it actually means raising food primarily for consumption rather than for the wholesale produce market. Many subsistence farms produce considerable surpluses, so that "community supported agriculture" is becoming the preferred term to describe them.

Although intentional communities such as the familiar Amana colonies have existed for centuries, there is more interest in them today than ever before. If you long to live among neighbors who are also friends, you might want to learn more about this trend. If the idea of building community "from then ground up" appeals to you, so much the better. The books listed below offer a good starting point in either case.