Estate Living Magazine Design for living - Issue 42 June 2019 | Page 52

C O M M U N I T Y
L I V I N G
COMMUNITY
BUILDING
REQUIRES TIME AND EFFORT
Community. What a nice concept. So simple. So appealing. And so elusive for residents of so many common-
interest ownership developments that are communities in name only. A collection of residents who share ownership
but nothing more may form an association, but they do not create a community by any definition of that term. True
communities – living, breathing, vibrant communities – are not born, they are built, and the community association
board is the primary architect in that construction process. Unfortunately, many boards lack both the community-
building tools they need and an understanding of how to use them. The results are evident in all-too-frequent
news reports of boards and owners locked in bitter battles that portray the board members as tyrants, and their
communities as places in which no one would particularly want to live.
Communication, commitment, and concern for the
community
In the common-interest ownership world, those terms are invoked
with the insistence and intensity of a mantra, repeated so often
that they risk becoming background noise, like the ‘buckle your
seatbelts’ speech that begins every aeroplane flight. The safety
information is important, but does anyone really focus on where the
exits are located or how to activate the oxygen masks? We’ve heard
the speech so often we think we know what do in an emergency, or
assume that we’ll figure it out if the need arises.
Rondebosch Oval
We treat the homeowners association (HOA) mantra the same
way. The concepts are so familiar and so deeply etched in our
understanding, we don’t have to think about them. Association
board members know communication is essential, don’t they?
They know how to keep owners informed, how to involve them in
the decision-making process, how to encourage their cooperation,
foster their concern and ensure their commitment to the community
in which they live.
Boards understand and apply all of those principles to the process
of building and sustaining a sense of community, don’t they? Well,
maybe not. In the articles you read in industry publications, in the
seminars you attend, and in the discussions you hear in board
meetings and overhear in common hallways, it is clear that: