UJIMA (COLLECTIVE WORK and RESPONSIBILITY)

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.

Lancaster Cohousing 2009

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. 

HedgeHog Self Build

The Diggers Selfbuild Co-op, also located in Brighton has provided the inspiration for many similar projects in the UK

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.

Old vs New?

We are now trying to decide whether to go for land and new build or an old house complex and renovate. I had imagined that we would find some old set of buildings and turn them into something we want but having watched many renovation programmes over the years and knowing from experience how many unknowns there are, when one of our members found some land, we started to think of a new vision...

Walter Segal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Segal), a visionary new eco-architecture, offers another very exciting way forward.

Here are my list of pros and cons for each possiblity. The list is not finshed!

Walter Segal Type New Build

Pros -

Cost easier to keep in control

We could do a lot ourselves

Could be quirky and ground breaking

Possiblity of being off grid or at least nearly off grid

Cons -

Land expensive

Planning difficult

Not as many houses possible as can't build up so smaller project

Regeneration:

Pros -

Part of the neighbourhood already

Making ecological buildings that are already there

Beauty

Cons -
Possibly more expensive

Unknown what we will find until we start renovating

Less ecological in the end

Planning difficult...

Planning is a problem with both projects but as we are innovative I think planners will be interested. Councils have a lot of pressure to eco build and for more resendential so I think we can get round objections.

I suppose it depends on which problems we want to take on.

Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Dreams Can Become Reality

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbour, catch the trade winds in your sales.  Explore, dream, discover."

Mark Twain

It started out as conversations of like minded individuals, wanting to live in a more meaningful way, of families and parents wanting to create better environments for our children to grow up in. Over shared meals, around camp-fires, copious cups of tea, cakes and biscuits, we discussed many issues......environmental concerns, healthy living, growing our own organic food, car pooling, intentional communities, eco friendly building, solar energy, skill sharing, apprenticeships, social centres and food co-ops, lifelong learning and education in family and community settings.

What has seemed an impossibility, has evolved organically over the years. Last year we took a deep breath and leaped!!! We began meeting on a regular basis, researching, exploring,  networking, and taking the necessary steps to making this dream happen.

The London Community Housing Co-operative, has emerged,  a seedling nurtured by the mutual intentions of a small group,  to become a registered Industrial Provident Society(IPS) with the Financial Services Authority(FSA) in January 2011.

On a cold , dark winter evening as fireworks lit up the sky over the Southbank,  where we sat in the Blue Bar we took it as an omen to reach for the stars. So follow our journey as we create a modern day village, a concept of community living based on the sustainable well being of people and surroundings, valuing diversity and mutual responsibility.

Dee