Communities Articles
Here is a selection of articles from previous back issues of Communities magazine. All back issues up to issue #184 are available for download here.
For more information about Communities magazine, visit its new publisher at GEN-US.
My Squat Law Journey
Posted on October 21, 2015 byAfter years of advocacy, social justice work, and on-the-ground experience, a squatter passes the bar exam.
Land Use Regulations, Urban Planners, and Intentional Communities
Posted on October 11, 2015 by1 Comment
A century since the United States’ first citywide zoning ordinance, community founders can find support in unexpected places when navigating land use laws.
My Struggle to Legalize Sustainable Living
Posted on October 1, 2015 by8 Comments
After nearly three decades of activity, a pioneering eco-community collapses under the weight of legal attacks by a small group of neighbors.
It Takes All Kinds to Raise a Village
Posted on September 21, 2015 byAfter an engaged local citizenry creates cultural shifts, a city endorses rather than prosecutes code-bending strategies that promote resilient community.
My Intentional Community and the Law
Posted on September 11, 2015 byBreitenbush has a long history of dealing with legalities and illegalities, from installing a volcano as their “boiler” and blocking old-growth logging to successfully petitioning for a zoning variance.
Zoning Nightmare: Hartford’s Scarborough Street House
Posted on September 1, 2015 byAn unconventional family fights to stay in their collective house in the face of antiquated local ordinances which suppress community living.
It’s the Law
Posted on August 25, 2015 by3 Comments
Communal living is no escape from dealing with legal issues and challenges coming from both within and outside the group.
Community and the Law, #168 Contents
Posted on August 21, 2015 byCommunity and the Law can be uneasy bedfellows. Some intentional communities are hobbled by legal restrictions—especially zoning, building codes, and permitting requirements—or by other effects, both within and outside the group, of a complaint-driven legal system. Yet some groups are able to forge new approaches and help change codes and laws to support more cooperative and resilient ways of living. In “Community and the Law,” authors share on-the-ground stories and guidance for others hoping to coexist peacefully and productively with the Law.
Urban Flex Farms: Farming on a Bicycle
Posted on August 4, 2015 byIn the face of structural challenges, some urban farmers are finding innovative ways to serve their neighborhoods.
The Balancing Act of Farming in Community
Posted on July 24, 2015 by1 Comment
Is Cobb Hill a model of how to do community and farming cooperatively, or a case study in their challenges?
The Community’s Garden Orchestra
Posted on July 14, 2015 byEngaging in collective food-production is like making our own music together: it’s both difficult and rewarding, especially with diverse players involved.
We Got An Egg!: A Study in Scarcity
Posted on July 4, 2015 byAt the Global Village, schoolchildren get a taste of impoverished peoples’ struggles to feed themselves.
Hot Topic, Raw Emotion, and the Spice of Life: Chewing over Food Choice in Community
Posted on June 24, 2015 byAt La’akea, members’ various approaches to food reflect the quest for emotional as well as physical sustainability.
How the Kitchen Is the Heart of a Community
Posted on June 14, 2015 byA shared kitchen provides not just physical sustenance, but emotional benefits and greater connection to our food and one another.
Cookin’ Dinner for the Revolution
Posted on June 4, 2015 by1 Comment
A vibrant, reliable, and nourishing home-base can provide activists with a much-needed feeling of sustainability.
Why I’m a Locavore
Posted on June 1, 2015 by1 Comment
By eating food grown locally by farmers we know, we can create a strong and resilient local food system and a healthier community.
Food and Community, #167 Contents
Posted on May 25, 2015 byFood and community are both at the core of our experience as human beings. Food brings us together and helps us understand and define who we are in groups. It highlights our interdependence and brings up core issues such as how we make decisions, how we relate to one another and the earth, and how we balance individual and collective needs and preferences. In “Food and Community,” our authors share stories and explore issues from locavoracity to global consciousness.
Short-Term Vacation Cohousing: A Great Way to Learn
Posted on April 29, 2015 by2 Comments
Two retirees discover a way to explore cohousing without long-term commitment—and after several extended visits, decide it’s for them.
A Baby Boomer Rediscovers Community
Posted on April 20, 2015 byAfter falling into a disillusioning “status quo” existence, a baby boomer rekindles his zeal (and ability) to live by his values at Belfast Cohousing and Ecovillage.
The Power of Community
Posted on April 10, 2015 byCohousing can offer a much-improved quality of life to seniors and others; it’s time to break free of the self-inflicted “Oh, that’s not me!”
My Father the Toddler
Posted on April 2, 2015 by2 Comments
An ex-communitarian tending full-time to an aging parent reflects on how intentional communities can help shift our approach to elder care.
The Intergenerational Challenge
Posted on March 24, 2015 by3 Comments
Bringing in older members can present costs but also yield great benefits, especially in maintenance and development of the community and—when handled well—in mentorship.
Every Eight Seconds
Posted on March 14, 2015 byAs intentional communities model new approaches to elder care, baby boomers can lead the way in transforming how we age in our society.
Living Intergenerationally at Dancing Rabbit: “The Times They Are A-Changin’…”
Posted on March 4, 2015 by1 Comment
Finding themselves to be elders in a multi-generational community, two baby boomers resist, accept, then finally embrace the idea that age DOES matter.
40+ Years of Communities magazine Back Issue Yard Sale!
Posted on February 28, 2015 by40+ Years of Communities magazine Back Issues Yard Sale Christopher Kindig, Business Manager Communities magazine has chronicled the challenges and celebrations of community living since 1972. This stacks up to… Read More
The New Communities
Posted on February 26, 2015 byOur new format features 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper, as well as color throughout the issue—better reflecting both our ecological values and the richness of life in cooperative culture.
Community for Baby Boomers, #166 Contents
Posted on February 20, 2015 byWhat role can baby boomers (born 1946-1964) play in a new resurgence of intentional community living? Where can they find and offer support to meet their and others’ needs over their final decades of life? How can aging baby boomers regain the sense of community that defined much of their generation as youth and young adults? What gifts do baby boomers offer to younger generations? In “Community for Baby Boomers,” our contributors explore these questions and many more.
Life with the Solar Kitchen
Posted on January 30, 2015 byThe Tamera Solar Village combines solar thermal and biogas technologies to create a kitchen that not only promotes responsible relationships to the earth and sky, but also builds human community.
Social Media or Social Isolation? Or is there a third way?
Posted on January 19, 2015 byAvoiding computers can mean losing out on connecting with others when one is desperate for connection, yet a rich, computer-free, community-based social life is also possible.
Kindista: Technology for Living More Freely
Posted on January 9, 2015 byBorn of collaboration, an innovative technology helps build community by encouraging trust, appreciation, and giving from the heart.
