If you’ve seen one Intentional Community you’ve seen them all, right? Intentional Communities come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes only limited by the imagination of the people who start them.

Every Intentional Community has unique qualities and its own unique set of circumstances and people. One of the great things about intentional communities is that they can be whatever the people who start them and live in them collectively decide. And there are plenty of useful guides and best practices based on decades of experience to help along the way.

There are several different established models that tend to follow typical patterns. While not all communities identify with these terms or fit into these categories.

Ecovillage (Global Ecovillage Network)

Cohousing (Cohousing Association of the US)
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Housing Cooperatives
North American Students of Cooperation

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National Association of Housing Cooperatives