Times are changing! New kinds of living arrangements are becoming more popular. In the past, many Americans had goals of growing up, getting married, buying a nice house, and having kids. Now, not everyone shares the same ideal. In addition, many families cannot afford to have a stay-at-home parent and purchase and maintain a home. According to the American Psychology Association, 40-50% of marriages end in divorce which means that households are commonly supported by inky one income causing even more financial strain to support a "traditional lifestyle."
Many people are forming intentional communities to solve some of these problems. An intentional community is a new living arrangement that focuses on the building and supporting of communities and "meeting the needs of all people and the planet, and [those communities] must be available, understood, appreciated, and developed"(ic.org). Intentional communities are not just for "non-traditional" families. There are five different community types, like ecovillages, that focus on ecologic improvement, communes that share incomes, and cohousing, that include private housing with shared common spaces, and each community has different values and expectations.
This new concept raises many questions. Will intentional communities eventually become a normal and common option for individuals and families? Will there be an economic effect if it does? According to ic.org, there are already thousands of communities established and many developing, including some here in Maine.
So, would you live in one of these communities? We want to know what you think!
