The Los Angeles Eco-Village Intentional Community (LAEV-IC) is a 40-member group within a two-block neighborhood of about 500 people in central Los Angeles. Started as a project of the nonprofit Cooperative Resources & Services Project (CRSP) after the 1992 civil uprisings, our vision is to reinvent how we live in the city. We do this by demonstrating higher quality living patterns at lower environmental impacts while striving to connect the social, economic and ecological systems of our neighborhood.
Those interested in becoming members are required to demonstrate their commitment to more ecological and cooperative living patterns over time. We are a diverse and activist community.
We are organized into the 45 unit Urban Soil/Tierra Urbana limited equity housing cooperative and the Beverly-Vermont Community Land Trust. We acquired our two buildings and the land from our nonprofit founding organization, CRSP, in 2012. We continue the eco-retrofitting of our buildings started by CRSP in the mid to late 1990s. Recently CRSP acquired a quarter acre property in the north end of our neighborhood which it plans to redevelop into a state of the art car-free mixed use cohousing project.
The community is rich in resources, including an organic produce and bulk foods co-op, an art studio, tool shop, Time Bank, sewing studio, several organic gardens and community meeting spaces, both indoor and out, bicycle shop, plus several home-based business activities. We host a variety of events which also serve the broader neighborhood and the general public.
The LAEV-IC meets weekly and establishes priorities and policies for the buildings, the intentional community, and the neighborhood. Regular community veggie dinners and work parties open to other neighbors, friends, and relatives help glue the community together.
The very dense neighborhood is three miles from downtown Los Angeles, with many public and private schools, colleges, and universities nearby. We are also rich in public transit and bicycle culture, with many green-business development opportunities for those with entrepreneurial spirit.
Several members live and work in the neighborhood. Many are actively involved in social, ecological, and planning issues in the city. The Community and neighborhood are child-friendly.
The downside of the neighborhood is that there is still way too much traffic and pollution.
We provide regular tours, urban-sustainable-community workshops, public talks on a variety of related topics, and affordable accommodations for short stays.
We demonstrate higher quality living patterns at lower environmental impacts by maximizing the beneficial connections both within and between the social, the economic and the ecological systems of the neighborhood.
See http://urbansoil.net/wiki.cgi/Becoming_a_Member
Generally takes about six months in three phases, and one can not live in properties we own while in the process.
If they just want to tour, go to www.laecovillage.org/home/tours for the regular tour schedule and make a reservation
If for a short stay under two weeks, Email Lara Morrison at la*****@*****il.com 213-383-8684
If for a longer stay, mail our Visitor Committee at visitor’s Committee
Let us know when you want to come, for how long, how many people, and the purpose of your visit. Keep after us if we don’t get back to you right away. Availability and type of accommodations vary greatly.
A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.
Everyone must agree before moving forward.
Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.
There is leadership and leadership groups. We’re trying to make process our leader,
We have boards & standing and ad hoc committees. There are lots of opportunities to be involved & develop leadership skills.
Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.
Join fee: Yes
Regular fees: Yes
Labor: Yes
Prefer debt free people
We expect members to participate on committees, attend mtgs,, attend community dinners and special events, and participate in work parties on a fairly regular basis
Common House, Garden(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Outdoor Kitchen, Swingsets & play areas, Internet
Within city limits with access to urban amenities and infrastructure.
Private homes with shared common facilities, designed for neighborly
interaction while maintaining independence.
Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.
Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace
A residential project: people live here as their primary home.
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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