Community Timeshare
Jun 13th, 2007 by scottan
Some of us have experienced the traditional timeshare, where shares in a property are purchased in exchange for a pre-determined amount of time in which the share owner occupies the property. Timeshares are usually in resort or vacation destinations, and are usually purchased by individuals and companies with expendable income.
Our spin: a community timeshare.
We’re thinking of creating a space in downtown Boulder (perhaps utilizing the Sorbe bus 1, 2) that would give individuals a place to stay and/or work for an extended period in downtown or another neighborhood of their choosing. Rather than a monetary exchange, however, the requirement would be for the individual to give back to the community in a creative way.
Does this interest you? In what ways could contributors donate their time and efforts to reinforce and strengthen our community?
This is a great idea, I think! I’m not sure what you mean by giving back to the community in a “creative” way.
I can think of some different levels of contributions, such as a visiting executive donating time to a local high school by giving classroom presentations on his/or her profession, or a vacationing couple volunteering to work on local trails or other open space projects. Perhaps an advertising or graphics design guru might donate a simple design for a community project.
Is this what you are looking for? I’m not sure how the value of the two-week stay would be recuperated and who would decide each gesture’s worth.
Cynthia
Your examples are great. The timeshare concept would include a place to stay, allowing the individual(s) an opportunity to experience living in Downtown Boulder, as well as an opportunity to give back to the community. This could be just as beneficial for someone from the area as it might be for an out-of-towner, as it would allow interaction with the downtown business and cultural communities. As prices (both commercial and residential) continue to rise, the timeshare could allow people to make a creative and / or social impact on the city without the high cost associated with living and working downtown.
Maybe we should get away from the word ‘timeshare.’
There have been plans for several years to build a cyber cafe as our gift back to Boulder’s sister city, Dushanbe, Tajikistan, for their gift of The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse.
One interesting result that can occur in a cultural timeshare is the disconnect within languages. This can be exciting, but is oftentimes intimidating for certain people.
I like the language of creativity as it seems to be universal. What is your language of creativity?
Scottan
[…] for other businesses and community groups to use the bus for events and gatherings, adopting the Community Timeshare concept. Currently located at MOTO Modern Markets on the corner of Folsom and Canyon; grab a cup of […]