Modern Intentional Communities & the Future of Sustainable Architectural Typologies
Date
2021-05
Authors
Tiric, Mia
Sharma, Tanya
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Wheeler, Andrea
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Abstract
Federation for Intentional Communities defines an intentional community as a group of people who have chosen to live together or share resources based on a set of common values (FIC, 2021). Historically, such groups have either been seen as anarchists or acting in opposition to conventional views and often disregarded as too idealistic or impractical. However, intentional communities engaged with community living have repeatedly demonstrated their movement's practicality through their positive relation to the environment with land management or farming. Using five case studies of contemporary groups that identify themselves as intentional communities, this research aims to analyze the relationship between community groups' social organization and their motivation for alternative sustainable lifestyles. Dolores Hayden states that: "To achieve a successful community living dynamic, there must be a balance between authority and participation, community and privacy, and uniqueness and replicability." Using this statement as a framework for our analysis, this study analyzes the following intentional communities directly: Acorn Farm Community (VA) and Twin Oaks Community (VA). Each of these communities differs in size and exemplifies complex social structures that aim to practice various degrees of sustainable living. The study uses survey data collected from members, ex-members, and long-term visitors from Acorn Farm Community and Twin Oaks Community, along with secondary to help compare, contrast, and analyze plausible urban influences using a more comprehensive range of existing sustainable models.
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