The idea is to create an affordable, cooperative livng space that offers both privacy for the individual and opportunties for social gathering, a way to have friends, make friends, share skills and ideas, garden, take care of pets and other animals. Yes, this is very idealistic, but also practical as fewer people are in a position to keep a home or buy one. But the old prescription of American living is not working that well, anyway, that of one nuclear family per "box." It is not only extremely lonely, but there is not enough room to share life with other creatures.