What?

What will you build in your intentional community?

Infrastructure refers to the long-lived engineered structures central to economic and social development. These are the first and most important central pieces of any part of the built environment. They are the seed from which the physical structure of the community will grow. All of these major categories are vital for human survival and flourishing. The subpoints address the way your community’s situation may differ in its implementation of critical infrastructure from other communities.

In the words of Paolo Lugari of the famous Gaviotas community which successfully turned a desert into a rain forest, “Social experiments cannot simply import solutions from more temperate climates.” The examples we illustrate and explain here are a good place to start but the best infrastructure solutions for your community will never be the same as what works for someone else; it’s up to you to decide how and what to build so that your infrastructure is well suited for your situation.

• Build Order: Where to start?
• Developing Your Infrastructure
  • Buildings For People
    • The Argument For Shared Community Kitchens
    • Shared Living Spaces
    • Root Cellars
    • Climate Controls
  • Food Infrastructure
    • Responsible Irrigation
    • Companion Planting
    • Avoiding Pesticides
    • Regenerative Soil Practices
    • Growing Through Frost
      • Cold Frames
      • Green Houses
    • Chicken Tractors
    • Trellises and Espalier
    • Storing Food
  • Water Infrastructure
    • Sourcing Water
      • Rain Catchment
      • Wells
      • Surface Water and Filtration
      • Atmospheric Water Generators
    • Storing and Distributing Water
    • Heating Water
      • Passive Water Heating Techniques
      • Active Water Heating Techniques
  • Power Infrastructure
    • Sourcing Power
      • Solar Power
      • Biogas for Electricity
      • Wind Power
      • Microhydro Power
      • Power From Animals
      • Biodiesel
    • Storing Power
      • Batteries
      • Gravity
      • Fuel Cells
    • Climate Controls
      • Heating Your Spaces
      • Cooling Your Spaces
  • Workshops and Crafts
    • Managing Tools
    • Wood Craft
    • Metal Craft
      • Building Forges
    • Ceramics
      • Sourcing Materials
      • Building Kilns
      • Bioceramics
  • Connectivity Infrastructure
    • Cell Boosters
    • Satellite Internet
  • Recycling Infrastructure
    • Closing Loops
    • Ash
    • Compost
      • Composting Food
      • Composting Toilets
    • Metals
    • Plastics
    • Biochar
    • Fibers
      • Bioceramics
      • Making Rope
  • Sewage Infrastructure
    • Compost Toilets
    • Biogas Reactors
      • Biogas for Heat
      • Biogas for Electricity