Group of diverse people gathered in a bamboo structure at Alegría Village.

Alegría Village

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Ecological
  • Town/Small City

Founding year

  • 2018

What we do

JOY DOESN’T COME AT THE END OF THE ROAD. LIVE IN JOY NOW.
Alegría Village is a new ecological neighborhood in the hills of San Mateo, Alajuela, Costa Rica, dedicated to best practices in regenerative living and design.
Nestled on 70 hectares (170 acres) of fertile farmland, Alegría includes extensive permaculture food forests with hundreds of fruit trees, edible community gardens, abundant springs and creeks that supply our water, and hiking and biking trails for exploring our natural surroundings.
Each neighbor has their own space – their own private land and home – and we all share a community center, pool & hot tub, yoga & meditation shala, coworking hub, permaculture farm, and sacred spaces tucked throughout the property. We now have over 135 neighbors, from 32 different countries (including many Costa Rican families) calling Alegría Village home.
Together we live a simple, grounded, intentional, and deeply connected lifestyle.
As an intentional community, Alegría Village is united by shared values and our commitment to upholding the permaculture ethics of Earth Care, People Care, Fair Share, and Future Care:
Earth Care: We are Earth Stewards
We are pollinators, planters, protectors, committed to living a lifestyle that heals not hurts the natural ecosystem around us.
People Care: We take care of each other
We are good neighbors, we are good friends. Together we support our children, our elders, our mothers, our fathers. We are an interconnected, interdependent community, looking out for the health and happiness of the collective village.
Fair Share: We are each a part of the whole
We all share a vision for a thriving regenerative future and each of us, with our diverse skills, backgrounds and contributions, are integral to the realization of this dream. The way forward is inclusive, collaborative, just, evolutionary, revolutionary. And we all show up for the revolution.
Future Care: We are Peaceful Warriors in service to the Planet
We radically question everything and design and implement better solutions for a thriving world. We are activists, aiming to inspire small changes, governmental changes, global changes. It is our privilege to ask, how can we offer support to our human, animal and plant relations? We are here on this planet to serve.
Our vision is a regenerative planet. A planet where humans honor and steward our natural environment and have a symbiotic, productive relationship with our entire ecosystem. Our vision is a place where all beings thrive. A place where our children can run free exploring and cultivating their natural curiosity, where our elders are supported and integrated into the fabric of our community, where wildlife is protected, water is respected, and food grows in abundance on the land where we live.

Our Mission

Regenerative planet where humans honor nature, thrive in symbiotic relationship with ecosystem, ensuring abundance, respect and support for all

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Ecovillage
  • Intentional Neighborhoods
  • Sustainability practices
  • Regenerative agriculture or permaculture
  • Permaculture design
  • Activities
  • Others

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2018
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2022
  • Started living together

Gallery

  • 229 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
229

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.

Decision-making process

  • Majority Vote

More than 50% agreement needed.

Governance structure

  • Representative/Democratic

Members elect leaders who make decisions within defined roles.

Economic model

  • Partial Income-Sharing

Members contribute a percentage of income to community funds.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a one-time fee, investment, or share purchase to join the community separate from accessing housing
  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • There is a labor obligation

Additional economic information

Join fee: Yes
Regular fees: Yes
Labor: Encouraged or suggested
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed

Community activities and engagement

  • Transition Town (post-petroleum and off-grid communities.)

Age demographics

  • Mixed adults (few or no children)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Setting

  • Town/Small City

Smaller municipalities with local services but rural character.

Community type

  • Ecovillage

    Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.

  • Intentional Neighborhoods

    Geographically close groups of independently-owned homes whose residents actively cultivate community relationships and shared values.

Sustainability approach

  • Regenerative agriculture or permaculture
  • Permaculture design

Land practices in our community

  • The community practices permaculture

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Food forest
  • Land area size
    171 acres

Guest Book

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Location

  • Alajuela, Costa Rica

Needs and Offers

Offer
Offer
  • Marketplace
6 years ago

Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves Books for Sale

Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves, Charles Durrett and Kathryn McCamant introduce Cohousing with stories and pictures of both Danish and American communities. Beautiful photographs and line drawings illustrate the warmly written account of how these communities came to be. Specific information on legal and financial aspects of working with developers, group process, and design issues make this book informative as well as inspiring. This is the book which brought Cohousing to North America. This book is the much prized second edition which has become a rarer and somewhat of a collectors item. Its community case studies were not included in the more recent publication. It preceded Creating Cohousing which is widely available. I acquired 25 cases from a local distributor who closed down. If you would like three or more copies for yourself, to share with your friends or to market your group, please let me know. I would love for them to be made useful and find great homes. Books are paperback (hard copy was not an option at the time from the publisher) all brand new, in Oakland (CA) so could be picked in Oakland or mailed to you. I would very much like to recuperate what I paid which is $10 per book. So, If you would like three or more shipped, I will add the postage, packing and handling fees. I have sold several cases (18 books per case) for $150 per case ($8 per book). I have a little wiggle room on the pricing. Please let me know if you are interested. Use the Send Message button on this page.
Offer
  • Housing For Rent + Shared
19 hours ago

Turn-key commune opportunity on 30 acres in beautiful rural Minnesota (~$500-550k)

Hi everyone! Our founding group of queer women is transitioning ownership of our rural Minnesota homestead, and we’re looking for new stewards to keep it running as an intentional community! Let me give you a tiny window into what to expect: Picture yourself stepping out of the overwhelming corporate chaos of the city, into an idyllic little slice of a slower life – there’s a certain look of relief we tend to see on our visitors’ faces. When you enter, the path is surrounded by vibrant flowers in every color that come back every year. To your left is a stone path to the organic gardens, growing easily without much effort. Straight ahead are the barns and pathways to the fields – you might pass by the occasional honeybee or butterfly. To the right is a large farmhouse, behind which there is a mossy forested area where you’ll find a conversation circle fashioned out of old logs and stones, and a small sitting platform up in the trees.    The Highlights: 30 Acres: Forest, pond, creek, permaculture gardens (Hügelkultur), native plants, perennial flowers and future fruit trees, and ~1 acre dry-farmed. 9-Bedroom Farmhouse: ~4,000 sq ft across 3 levels. Solid heating, great bones, in good shape, quiet layout. Outbuildings: Garage, woodshop barn, event barn, quonset storage, a silo, plus honeybees & resident farm cat! Location: Quiet and peaceful. Remote with off-the-grid features like a well and pending solar installation, yet under 10 mins to hospital/town. Zero flood/fire risk, and a wonderfully welcoming, queer-friendly local network.   Ideal for an established group of 2+ people ready to take on a relatively large farmhouse and property. We are open to an outright purchase or a gradual transition/shared-ownership arrangements with existing members. -> Full details, photos, and contact info here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ONZk-TUYQg3Xzh5Q7yl14PPeuwl5NYXu9ZDTgFGT4sY/edit?usp=sharing   Feel free to message me or share with anyone looking for land!  
Offer
  • Forming Communities
1 month ago

Create Home in Greece, Together

There are two ways into Greece’s first community-led cohousing network: a new-build mountain-foothills village in the Peloponnese, or an adaptive-reuse project where you help choose the property itself. Both are shaped by the vision and values of the people who will live there. PATH ONE: TAYGETE COHOUSING VILLAGE — NEW-BUILD, PELOPONNESE A mountain agrihood at the foot of the majestic Taygetos Mountains, inspired by the UNESCO village of Monemvasia — pristine national forest and hiking, olive groves, a vineyard, farm, surounded by mountain villages and close to extraordinary beaches. Common House with a full coworking suite, incredible kitchen for indoor/outdoor dining, workout room and lounge with fireplace. Includes a pool, gardens, soccer field, and village plateia. Adjacent to a luxury wellness resort with spa and farm-to-table restaurants now building. 2.5 hours from Athens International Airport, 20 min. drive to a vibrant town with nightly filled tavernas and a new hospital, 25 min. drive to beaches and charming fishing villages. Project Advantage: This project does not require the group to take out a collective construction loan — a rare, significant risk reduction most forming cohousing projects can’t offer. This project also provides the opportunity for a Golden Visa permanent residency in Greece, with the advantages of European healthcare, university access, Schengen business and travel. Stage of Development: Site Selection Completed. Feasibility studies completed. Development Partner Selection Completed. Collaborative Site and Village Design Process Completed. Finance Plan Completed. Architectural and Environmental Studies are completed and in the modification process. A current building permit exists and is in the modification process. Once the permit modification process is complete, member investment opportunities will open. Utility infrastructure excavation is underway, and only 12 investe

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An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).

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