How do you make decisions?

FAQ
#1

We practice a consensus decision-making process similar to the “N Street Cohousing Method” and minimize meetings through voluntary circles.

“But consensus doesn’t work!?”

We agree. Strict consensus systems have a difficult time functioning smoothly among groups of hyper-domesticated humans acculturated to interact in hierarchical dominance structures. We recognize problems with consensus as originally articulated, and modify the process to include iteratively improving ideas rather than blocks and subterfuge. In practical terms, anyone who doesn’t like an idea is allowed and expected to come up with an alternate idea rather than simply stalling the process.

References

#2

The primary major decisions that the community will have to make repeatedly seem to be:
*who can join
*what land to purchase
*how to acquire the resources to do so.

It seems like the ability to separate without dissolving would make most other decisions fairly manageable. But those carry enough potential drama and conflict to be existential questions for the community.

#3

Since we have land that’s paid off, the first question is the main one at the moment. Well, that and there’s a ton of work to do before the community will feel like an actual thing that people will even want to join. Right now, “land project” is a better descriptor than community.

We do plan to add more community land as part of the node cluster framework, but that will in some ways be a function of who’s in the community at that time, and whether the community is buying the land or whether were merging with another land project or having land donated, et cetera.