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Forming Formed: 2009
San Francisco Backyard Neighborhood and Learning Center
San Francisco, California,
United States
 Our vision is to create a cohousing community in the heart of San Francisco where children are self-directed learners. We value diversity, social and ecological responsibility, mutual learning, and joy.
We are planning to buy property on the same block in San Francisco and take down the backyard fences to create a shared open space. We intend the open space and some indoor space to be used as a common area for all the members of this Backyard Neighborhood (like cohousing), and we intend the common area to be used for self-directed learning by the residents and their guests, including adults and children of all ages. (Some of us will probably form unschooling co-ops.)
The common area will have many opportunities for children to observe nature; interact with older and younger children and adults; run, climb, and jump; experiment with materials and processes; garden, cook, build, repair, and sew; dance and make music and artworks; play games; and, through it all, practice math, reading, writing, interpersonal communication, cooperation, and dispute resolution.
The Backyard Neighborhood could also be an urban ecovillage: a model of sustainable city living, with passive solar heating and cooling; rainwater catchment; graywater purification with plants; some energy production from biomass; small, quiet windmills and solar panels on rooftops; and a high degree of onsite food production.
We will try to start with at least two adjacent multi-story buildings (or a double-wide building), but we are prepared to start with only one building and later attempt to expand the shared backyard to neighboring properties (by purchase or mutual easements, for example), as cohousing groups have done in Davis and Oakland.
You can read more details at our website: sfbackyard.wordpress.com/details
 
Website: http://sfbackyard.wordpress.com
Contact:
Kelly Simpson
San Francisco, California United States
Phone: 415-487-9325
Email This Community!
Community location is placed at the center of the zip/postal code, city/state, or city/country (not based on street addresses)
Last Updated:3/8/2010
 
Visitors Accepted
Visitor Process: Meetings are announced at sfbackyard.wordpress.com/meeting-announcement.
Statement of Housing Non-discrimination:
Our community does not discriminate in regards to housing based on race/color, national origin, religion, sex/gender, family status (i.e. having children, not having children, or being pregnant), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, ancestry, source of income, age, creed, personal appearance, political affiliation, HIV infection, military/veteran status, unfavorable military discharge, gender identity or expression, receiving public assistance, or being the victim of domestic abuse.

Population
Members(adults and children):
17
(in forming group)
Non-member Residents:
0
Open to new members:
Yes
Government
Decision Making:
Other
(We will probably use consensus or agreement-seeking super-majority, with one vote for each adult member. Projects could be managed with Agile planning techniques.)
Identified Leader:
No
Leadership Core Group:
No
Labor and Money
Financial Style:
Members have independent finances
(We will probably have a group mortgage loan, with the members who get larger or more desirable units having proportionately more loan, tax, and insurance responsibilities and more insurance coverage. Some members with more cash might make long-term loans to the group for the down payment and then receive monthly payments that will repay their cash plus interest. An extra reserve fund could cover several months of loan, tax, and insurance payments in case of emergency.)
Open to Members with Pre-existing Debt:
Yes
(as long as they can handle the new debt)
Labor Contribution:
Expected
(Group meetings and team duties. The members may choose to pay people for jobs like cleaning, maintenance, accounting, legal research, and dealing with contractors for repairs, but there will still be a need for members to hire and monitor those people. Specialized teams of members could do research on choices and report to the entire membership at meetings.)
Join Fee:
Yes
(There may be a fee to reimburse the founders for part of the start-up costs, such as hiring a lawyer. There may also be required lump-sum contributions to reserve funds that will be reimbursed with the joining fees of new members when property is transferred.)
Regular Fees:
Yes
(Monthly dues for common expenses, such as loan payments, insurance, taxes, water, sewerage, garbage pickup, electricity, gas, cleaning, maintenance, accounting, and legal advice, and contributions to reserve funds for expected repairs and unexpected circumstances. The amount of each member's dues will probably depend on the member's living space and the number of people sharing that space.)
Land and Buildings
Urban
Land Owned By:
Other
(Probably all of the property will be owned by the group, with members having rights to private use of specified living spaces and permission to sell those rights to existing or new members.)
Cohousing:
Yes
(Yes in that it will have some areas controlled by the entire group and some areas controlled by individuals, families, or other small groups.)
Food, etc.
Percentage of Food Grown:
6-20%
(perhaps, depending on the interest of the members)
Share Community Meals:
1-3 times/month
(We will probably have group meals only before group meetings, but some members might choose to have meals together in the common area more often.)
Dietary Choice or Restrictions:
(Common-area restrictions, if any, to be decided.)
Dietary Practice:
(Common-area practice, if any, to be decided.)
Alcohol Use:
(Common-area restrictions, if any, to be decided.)
Tobacco Use:
(Smoking will probably be restricted in the common area.)
Social Factors
Common Spiritual Practices:
No
Which Spiritual Traditions(s):
Other
(All non-coercive paths welcome.)
Educational Style(s):
Home schooling
(Self-motivated, self-directed learning; joint unschooling)
Cohousing Details
Cohousing Status:
Forming
 
 


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We happily link to the following organizations, all of whom share our strong commitment to promoting community and a more cooperative world:
Cohousing The Federation of Egalitarian Communities - Communes Coop Community Cooperative Sustainable Intentional North American Students of Cooperation