UJIMA (oo-JEE-mah) is Swahili for collective work and responsibility. We are on the verge of a major revolution. One of self determined communities where people take responsibility for themselves..everything from health to education; to commerce and housing. Co-housing, community self building and intentional communities are growing trends not only here in the UK but worldwide. There are some stellar examples such as the Lancaster Cohousing Project, Mark Teys, Hedgehog Self Build Co-op, and Diggers Self Build Co-op.
The Lancaster Cohousing Project is located just outside Lancaster on the outskirts of the village of Halton. It has a mixture of private homes, workspaces, and community facilities built on strong ecological values.
The Mark Teys Project was built in partnership with a housing association, by and for disabled people. An example of inclusive design and diversity within the self build community located in Mark Teys, near Colchester.
Hedgehog Selfbuild Co-op is another example of community self build with strong sustainable values located in Brighton.
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| HedgeHog Self Build |
The Diggers Selfbuild Co-op, also located in Brighton has provided the inspiration for many similar projects in the UK
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| Diggers Self Build Internal |
So what a small, but uniquely diverse and dynamic group of people have envisioned is not an impossibility. It can be done. Our tasks in the upcoming months are to refine our dreams into viable plans; to clearly establish the degree of self determination, we as a group want to have; and to use our limitations of budget and urban environment as catalysts for innovation.
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