Types of Communities

Where we are learning, listening, and observing

Why Categories Help

Communities arise from many different seeds: a contemplative vision, an ecological experiment, an educational philosophy, or a call to artistic expression. Each represents a unique approach to collective life, and each offers lessons that can be shared beyond its borders.

WholeFam is engaging with a range of community types to understand what sustains them, what challenges they face, and what wisdom they hold for the future of sanctuary building.

1. Contemplative Communities

  • Monasteries, ashrams, retreat centers
  • Focused on rhythm, silence, spiritual practice, and inner transformation
  • Lessons: stability, endurance, balance of discipline and compassion

2. Ecological Communities

  • Eco-villages, permaculture projects, regenerative land trusts
  • Organized around sustainability, food sovereignty, and earth stewardship
  • Lessons: resilience, self-reliance, relationship with place

3. Educational Communities

  • Schools, training centers, universities with integrated residential life
  • Rooted in philosophies of learning and holistic development
  • Lessons: continuity, transmission, integration of youth and elders

4. Artistic & Creative Communities

  • Artist colonies, cultural residencies, performance-based collectives
  • Built around creativity as a shared practice and offering
  • Lessons: expression, shared meaning, adaptability, cultural relevance

5. Experimental & Hybrid Communities

  • Intentional communities that combine multiple dimensions (e.g. Findhorn, Damanhur)
  • Often serve as laboratories for new social, ecological, and governance models
  • Lessons: innovation, flexibility, navigating complexity

Explore Further

  • Communities of Interest → (subpages with location-specific details)
  • Become a Host Community → (submission form for organizations willing to share their model and host a researcher)
  • See What We’re Asking These Communities →

Our Orientation

We do not expect to find a single “perfect model.” Instead, we believe each type of community holds a fragment of the larger mosaic. By learning from many, we can help future sanctuaries — including WholeFam’s own — find the combination of practices that fits their unique soil, people, and purpose.