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Cohousing & Democracy
1.
2. WHAT IS THE PROBEM?
Concern over the following trends:
Evidence of declines in national levels of trust,
social cohesion & social capital.
Declining quantity and quality of civic engagement.
Increasingly polarized, ‘uncivil’ public discourse –
less constructive dialogue across difference.
Broad disgust with politics and government.
What does this mean for our democracy?
3. Do cohousing neighborhoods support - among
residents:-
Social capital development?
Civic and democratic engagement?
Building of democratic capacities and practices?
Role of predisposition vs. influence of living in
cohousing?
Where change is observable - What factors
appear to be key?
4. Part I:
National survey of 647 residents in 56 cohousing
neighborhoods nation-wide. Compared against
nationally representative data set (Harvard).
Part II:
Qualitative Case studies of 3 cohousing
neighborhoods: ‘East Village’, ‘West Village’,
‘Central Village’. Focus group surveys &
interviews, individual interviews, document
analysis & participant observation.
5. High levels of education
Middle class (or higher)
Diversity: High for age & religion. Moderate/Low for
socio-economic, political affiliation & race/ethic
diversity.
More female than male
6. High levels of :
Volunteerism
Community participation
Service on committees
Org. leadership
Public meeting attendance
Interest in national affairs
Participation in political activities
7. Number of times volunteered over the past 12
months
45%
3%
38%
4%
10%
9%
26%
3%
39%
7%
16%
9%
4%
4%
29%
16%
12%
33%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Not in last 12
months
Once
2-10 times
Once a month
Tw ice a Month
Once a w eek or
more
Cohousing
Sub-Sample
National Sample
10. Attended public meeting addressing
city/town/county or school affairs in past 12
months
55%
8%
30%
3%
2%
1%
0%
42%
8%
41%
7%
2%
0%
0%
28%
21%
40%
4%
3%
2%
1%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Not in last 12
months
Once
2-10 times
Once a month
Tw ice a Month
Once a w eek
More than once a
w eek
Cohousing
Sub-Sample
National Sample
11. How interested are you in national affairs
and politics?
13%
21%
36%
30%
3%
13%
39%
44%
2%
7%
32%
60%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Not at all
Slightly
Somew hat
Very
Cohousing
Sub-Sample
National Sample
13. Residents of all 3 case communities perceived
positive changes in:
Engagement in neighborhood, local and national level
issues.
Frequency of discussion of neighborhood, local and
national issues.
High levels of trust among neighbors
Dramatic increase in reciprocal norms/behaviors
Increases in social networks and sense of social
cohesion
14. Involvement in neighborhood issues and decisions
0 0
6
38
56
0 0
18
9
73
0 0
9
56
36
0
20
40
60
80
100
Much Less Somew hat
Less
Same
Amount
Somew hat
More
Much More
%ofResponses
East Village
West Village
Central Village
15. Involvement in local issues
(Beyond neighborhood)
0 0
62
18 18
0 0
63
36
00 0
36
63
0
0
20
40
60
80
100
Much Less Somew hat
Less
Same
Amount
Somew hat
More
Much More
%ofResponses
East Village
West Village
Central Village
16. Involvement in national or global issues
0 0
31
50
19
0 0
73
27
00 0
45
55
0
0
20
40
60
80
100
Much Less Somew hat
Less
Same
Amount
Somew hat
More
Much More
%ofResponses
East Village
West Village
Central Village
17. Time spent volunteering outside of neighborhood
0
6
44
25 25
0
9
64
23
5
0
9
36 36
18
0
20
40
60
80
100
Much Less Somewhat
Less
Same
Amount
Somewhat
More
Much More
%ofResponses
East Village
West Village
Central Village
18. Enhanced access to information/
communication/exchange
Development of ‘political’ skills: self-expression,
negotiation, conflict resolution, facilitation,
leadership.
Increased sense of being able to make a difference –
neighborhood, local and beyond.
19. ‘Jane’ from West Village:
“Well..still…because I am connected to 36 other
households and they are connected out into the larger
community… even if in one way that hasn’t directly
broadened my engagement ….in other ways it has. Like I
stuffed envelopes for Doctors for Global Health, even
though I have never been involved with an international
medical non-profit before ….I know more about the Israeli-
Palestinian situation than I ever knew before because I
have a neighbor who cares passionately about that and
sends me things by email or talks to me about it and
encourages me to sign petitions and things and I just
wouldn’t necessarily have that kind of contact otherwise.
And there are politically engaged people here…and people
whose jobs are in different areas outside the community…
with whom I can speak about a political issue that will
impact them or that they might know something about that
I didn’t know . I think all of those things have happened to
me because I care about a bunch of people and sort of by
extension, I care about what they care about and that
helps me become more engaged. “
20. Access to information about neighborhood issues
0 1
12
25
62
0 0
9
14
77
0 0
9
54
37
0
20
40
60
80
100
Much Less Somew hat
Less
Same
Amount
Somew hat
More
Much More
%ofResponses
East Village
West Village
Central Village
21. Access to information about local issues
(beyond the neighborhood)
0
6
13
56
25
0 0
33
57
10
0 0
9
82
9
0
20
40
60
80
100
Much Less Somewhat
Less
Same
Amount
Somewhat
More
Much More
%ofResponses
East Village
West Village
Central Village
22. Access to information about national and global issues
0 0
50
31
19
0
5
45
36
14
0 0
36
64
0
0
20
40
60
80
100
Much Less Somew hat
Less
Same
Amount
Somew hat
More
Much More
%ofResponses
East Village
West Village
Central Village
24. Skills in organizing events or collective actions
0 0
49
38
13
0 0
42
29 29
0 0
27
64
9
0
20
40
60
80
100
Much Less Somew hat
Less
Same Amount Somew hat
More
Much More
%ofResponses
East Village
West Village
Central Village
25. Skills in dealing with conflict
0 0
6
38
56
0 0
23
45
32
0 0
27
54
19
0
20
40
60
80
100
Much Less Somewhat
Less
Same
Amount
Somewhat
More
Much More
%ofResponses
East Village
West Village
Central Village
26. Leadership and facilitation skills
0 0
25
44
31
0 0
26
58
16
0 0
18
82
0
0
20
40
60
80
100
Much Less Somew hat
Less
Same
Amount
Somew hat
More
Much More
%ofResponses
East Village
West Village
Central Village
27. ‘Lydia’ from West Village:
“I think that, besides information and heightened
awareness, I think there’s just easier access to things.
For example I can call Nina to ask how she will vote on
this thing or what is the deal with that thing because she
knows more about local politics than I do and stuff like
that, but besides all that -I feel like living here and being
exposed to this and facilitating meetings and things
have helped my self… and how you call it… my
confidence about going out and doing stuff outside or
organizing….organizing a group making things
happen…and maybe it’s a function of age too, but I think
there is something to being here that gives me the
confidence to do stuff like that or to organize politically
and being involved in the community, and taking on
being president of this or that organization I think has
been influenced by my being here. “
28. Abilityto influence local issues/developments
0
6 6
50
38
0 0
57
43
00 0
64
27
9
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Much Less Somewhat
Less
Same Amount Somewhat
More
Much More
%ofResponses
East Village
West Village
Central Village
29. Abilityto have some impact or voice on matters of national
or global concern
0
6
56
26
12
1 0
65
34
00
9
64
27
0
0
20
40
60
80
100
Much Less Somewhat
Less
Same Amount Somewhat
More
Much More
%ofResponses
East Village
West Village
Central Village
30. Discuss neighborhood issues with others
0 0 0
13
87
0 0 0
14
86
0 0 0
64
36
0
20
40
60
80
100
Much Less Somewhat
Less
Same Amount Somewhat
More
Much More
%ofResponses
East Village
West Village
Central Village
31. Discuss local (beyond neighborhood) issues with others
0 0
20
40 40
0 0
27
55
14
0 0 0
64
36
0
20
40
60
80
100
Much Less Somewhat
Less
Same Amount Somewhat
More
Much More
%ofResponses
East Village
West Village
Central Village
32. Disuss national or global issues with others
0 0
25
56
19
0 0
32
41
27
0 0
9
36
55
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Much Less Somew hat
Less
Same
Amount
Somew hat
More
Much More
%ofResponses
East Village
West Village
Central Village
33. Decision-making and forms of participation
conform to definitions of ‘deliberative
democracy’ in the theoretical and praxis
literature.
Evidence that use of deliberative democracy
in neighborhood governance is both difficult
and rewarding for residents
34. High civic and democratic engagement.
Living in cohousing fosters increased levels of
engagement.
Civic and democratic effects are linked to social
capital, capacity building and practice of
deliberative democracy (Self Govt./Consensus)
35. IMPORTANCE OF SEVERAL FEATURES IN
SUPPORTING THE OBSERVED EFFECTS:
1. Physical design and layout of Coho
2. Intentionally pro-social, pro-community-building norms
& practices
3. Participatory, deliberative, consensus-based forms of
self-governance.
4. Rich connections beyond the neighborhood...to local
and national networks/issues/efforts.
EACH ENHANCES THE OTHERS…
36. Evidence suggests that Cohousing IS building
democracy at the grassroots…
Is there potential for further enhancement in this
context ?
37. Citizen Summits
Consensus conferences
National Issues Forums
Public Conversations Project
World Café
Dialogue Circles
Study Circles
Appreciative Inquiry
Community Mediation
POTENTIAL FOR COMMUNITIES AS PLATFORMS
FOR PRACTICE OF ‘DEEP DEMOCRACY’??
38. Poley, L. and Stephenson, M. O. , 2007-08-30
"Community, Trust and the Habits of Democracy:
An Investigation into Social Capital and Civic
Engagement in U.S. Cohousing
Neighborhoods" Paper presented at the annual
meeting of the American Political Science Association,
Hyatt Regency Chicago and the Sheraton Chicago
Hotel and Towers, Chicago, IL Online <PDF>. 2010-06-
07 from
http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p209987_index.ht
ml
