Like startups, most intentional communities fail. Why?
While I think anti-capitalist communes are as hopeless as the author portrays, communes of likeminded individuals <i>have</i> been successful. Consider the Chelsea Hotel in NYC. In addition to being the cornerstone of NYC&#x27;s art scene for 100+ years, it also contributed to billions of dollars in value creation. [0] The hotel was intended to be a community for artists from the start, and by every measure it was successful.<p>A few factors that made the community successful:<p>— Residents still had jobs<p>— Residents were expected to pay (very low) rent<p>— Residents had a lot of leeway if they missed their rent<p>— Residents were generally selected for their likemindedness&#x2F;talent<p>— Residents stayed at the hotel for a good stretch of time, fostering a sense of community<p>— Short-term tourists and wealthy patrons helped keep the rest of the community afloat (like many of these communes)<p>— It was in Manhattan, not the middle of nowhere<p>I think it&#x27;s still remarkably possible to create successful intentional communities. However, I think that being isolated with 100 people in the middle of Indiana is probably less tolerable (in the long term) than living in a communal hotel with 100 people while still living in an exciting city. It&#x27;s less incestuous that way, and you&#x27;re constantly being invigorated by new ideas from your next-door neighbours.<p>[0] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;medium.com&#x2F;@bagelboy&#x2F;make-america-bohemian-again-de846e35d757" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;medium.com&#x2F;@bagelboy&#x2F;make-america-bohemian-again-de8...</a>