Mission Statement
To create an intentionally designed community of individually-owned homes where households are good neighbors and conscientious environmental stewards. Living in close proximity and sharing resources, we increase quality of life by caring for one another, celebrating together, reducing consumption, decreasing our impact on the environment, and offering Richmond a new model of vibrant neighborhood design.
Shared Values
Shared Governance
Decisions are made in a safe space, via transparent, collaborative, and non-hierarchical methods, guided by facilitative leadership.
The following are some examples of our shared governance:
- Members inform themselves on the issues affecting each of their decisions.
- Members use shared values as a primary basis for decision-making.
- Members express all opinions from an “I” perspective, rather than attempting to speak for the community as a whole.
- Committees will form as needed to provide on-going leadership for different aspects of the community.
Personal Responsibility & Accountability
The following are some examples of how personal responsibility / accountability is demonstrated in community:
When commitments are made, they are honored. When commitments cannot be met, the owner takes initiative in a timely manner to have it assumed by another or rescheduled / reprioritized by the community.
Interpersonal & Community Relationships
The community is being designed to maximize opportunities for fun, and for both planned and spontaneous interactions that are engaging and supportive of the larger community.
Members of the community interact in a respectful manner with one another, resolving disagreements through a peaceful process.
The following are examples of what would be included in the desired interpersonal and community relationships:
- Enjoyable activities, both planned and spontaneous, provide a foundation for building positive interactions that are supportive of the larger community.
- Members of the community actively seek solutions to any problem they identify as being present.
- Members offer respectful feedback to others on their community engagements, and are open to receiving such feedback from others.
- Gossip is not welcomed by members of the community.
Environmental Sustainability
We strive to design and live in a community that is both aesthetically appealing and environmentally responsible.
The following are examples of how the community will seek to be environmentally responsible:
- The community will be situated so that members can easily walk, bike, or take public transportation for daily activities
- The community will be constructed for efficient heating and cooling and low maintenance, using environmentally responsible building materials.
- Members of the community will share resources (guest rooms, equipment, trips for running errands, etc.) making the community more environmentally responsible as well as more affordable.
- Members will grow organic food together.
- Members of the community will establish community composting and recycling systems.
Affordability & Accessibility
The community is being designed to accommodate a wide range of household incomes, abilities, and ages.
Examples of design for this affordability and accessibility includes:
- A range of home prices will be sought during the design process.
- Accessible for children, and for individuals with physical disabilities and mobility limitations.
- The community design will support “aging in place.”
Diversity
Our diversity in age, family status, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity/race, political perspective, talents, etc., enriches, stretches, and strengthens the community.
Examples of practices supporting diversity include:
- Members share the values as defined by the community.
- Members of the community are intolerant of intolerance.
- Members are not sought as tokens of diversity.
Richmond Cohousing 