The Basics of Permaculture Design

Being isolated in the urban sprawl may not be the best way to live. Some people feel threatened by the urban environment and they will spend lots of money on security. Suburbanites are renowned for staying in their homes and not interacting with the people around them.

The type of housing developments most of us live in do not encourage neighbourhood interaction. Some urban developments are successful, such as the general move toward mixed-density “green street” areas.

Even so, many people don’t even know their neighbours’ names. There is an alternative - community living.

The structure and beliefs and values of communities vary enormously, and one that suits your lifestyle and needs can usually be found. If not, consider starting your own group.

Village or community living has the potential to reduce the general cost of living for individuals and families. There could be some relief from the economic burden that many people carry with the usual mortgage on a house in the suburbs.

The dream of owning your own home is really just that, a dream. Money lenders, banks and other financial institutions own the security of almost everyone’s home.

If you want a different lifestyle, it may be achieved more easily if you are debt-free. Village living may give you the opportunity for this to happen, although this does depend on many other factors such as your financial position, because you still may need to borrow money.

It wasn’t that long ago that people lived in small villages dotted about the countryside. These little hamlets, as they are also known, amalgamated as houses were built between them on main roads. As the population increased, the “village” sometimes grew to become regional towns and finally larger cities.

Many people are now starting to seriously consider returning to the small community living ideas where you know your neighbours and life doesn’t seem so hectic.

The terms community, village and hamlet are generally interchangeable as they mean much the same thing - a form of human settlement where a group of people deliberately live nearby to each other for a particular purpose.

However, in this context, a “hamlet” refers to a cluster or group of 20 to 50 houses with facilities such as a hall, service station and general store.

A “village” means a larger grouping of houses (several hamlets) with the additional services such as a school, post office and other shops, while a “community” often means the people, rather than the houses, that live together in the same locality.

A community of people often share the same ideals and beliefs or hold similar ethics.

These ideals can be common religious beliefs, ethical beliefs or some other beliefs and values. For example, the term “ecovillage” often describes a group of people who share a concern for the environment and who wish to live in a sustainable way.

The village infrastructure is designed so that it has little impact on the environment, and the lifestyle of those living on the site is one of “treading lightly on the earth”.

This describes the true essence of a permaculture village. People with like-minds, with commonly-held beliefs or aspirations, coming together to form villages, need to hold similar goals, or the community will struggle to survive.

Figure 13.1 The concept of zoning can be symbolically applied to human settlements.

Living in a close community has many benefits. These include income generation on site (from a range of agricultural and financial activities), greater self-employment, less reliance on vehicles, machinery and equipment, the ability to pool labour (in building houses and other structures), greater provision of the basic human needs of food and shelter, reduced household operating costs, and on-site energy and electricity generation (thus less need to rely on state or private company services). In summary, the aims of any eco-village should be to:

• develop enterprises so that residents can earn a living on the site. This reduces transport costs and provides income and material goods for many residents.

• provide the basic life essentials of shelter, food and energy for each resident. This may mean that some residents earn income from growing food for others, generating power for the community, or building houses and other structures for individuals.

If more of these communities were set up then the incidence of social problems might decrease.

This, is turn, could mean huge savings in welfare and may reduce the need for counselling services and other government and private agencies.

Ecovillages are meant to only contain a small number of people. One hundred households, with a total population between two hundred to five hundred, would probably be the ideal.

At this number, LETS trading can be effective, and several people can work the land and derive income from businesses and activities on the property.

It is important to at least know each other’s names and be able to hold a conversation with another community member.

It is also possible to set up a school where funding from the regional or state education authority will often pay for a teacher’s salary.

There are also enough people to maintain and develop the common areas and any reserves set aside by the community.

Most communities around the world are usually small, with perhaps less than one hundred people being the most common population size.

It has been estimated that by the year 2030 two-thirds of the world’s population will live in major cities.

Finally, ecovillages should link into other similar settlements in the bioregion, so that the unnecessary duplication of services is reduced, and trade and support can be encouraged.

A variation to community life is the co-housing villages set up in Europe (originally Denmark) in the late 1970’s. Here, a group of individual family homes are built surrounding a central, common house so that facilities can be shared.

In this way, individuals retain their privacy by living in their own units, but can participate in community life by having meals and activities together. The central house might contain laundry and full kitchen facilities, making these obsolete in every home or unit and thus reducing overall building costs. Some of the different ways that communities can be set up are discussed in the pages that follow.

The development of villages needs considerable research and thought. Each state, county or country has rules and regulations about the type of housing developments they will approve.

Guidelines for land development

Here is a short checklist of the types of considerations and issues that have to be addressed when communities are designed or built.

• will development enhance the quality of life for those who live and work on the property?

• will biodiversity, existing vegetation cover and soil and water quality be protected or enhanced?

• are watercourses being changed or new waterways and water-bodies developed? Will these watercourses and the surrounding catchment area be protected? Will recharge areas be protected and rehabilitated?

• how are wastes being treated? Will the soil be contaminated by the possible unintentional dumping of household rubbish?

• will the proposed land use practices be sustainable? Will the environment benefit from activities undertaken on the land?

• will the community development be compatible with the general character and land use of adjoining properties?

• will the aesthetic qualities of the property be retained, or can visual improvements be made?

• what will be the impacts of providing services such as water, power and telephone on the land?

• is there provision for minimising the impact of feral animals, fire, drought, flood, hail and other natural disasters on the property?

• are resources well-managed so that they are not quickly depleted?

• does land use provide a range of opportunities for human enterprises?

• will development enhance and complement local landcare initiatives?

• has there been observation and consideration of the natural drainage and flow of water on the property?

• will the development foster community awareness and education?

• is there potential for rehabilitation of wildlife corridors?

You need to be aware of these regulations well before you start looking for land or a group to share it with.

Furthermore, the development of any ecovillage needs to fit into the existing or proposed plans for the bioregion.

Local, state or federal government authorities can be contacted for information about the restrictions and conditions for site development such as:

Each of these has advantages, disadvantages, different costs and particular applications for access requirements.

• power, telephone and water services layout - underground or overhead. Overhead power supply is cheaper to install, but underground is more aesthetically pleasing and safer in areas that have frequent storms and high winds.

• nature of the titles - multiple occupancy, strata title or other. Some arrangements permit individuals to own their own land within the site, while other set-ups have the community owning all of the titles and individuals leasing their house area.

There are many other combinations of conditions, each having particular rules and regulations.

• sewage and waste disposal options. This is of increasing concern to local authorities, as they and the general public are aware of the potential pollution problems to underground and surface water supplies.

• drainage, earthworks, restrictions on dams and waterways. For example, you may have to obtain pumping rights to take water from existing creeks and rivers, or you may not be able to clear some areas of the site for orchards or a house site without written approval.

Finding the right piece of land for you does present problems. Some are grounded in legal constraints, as we have just seen, and others are related to availability, cost, size and the specific features you desire, such as aspect, sun-facing slopes, and abundance and quality of water.

There are many ways in which land for villages becomes available and here are a few:

• a property owner wants to better use land he or she already has. Maybe a farmer wants to develop an ecological village on one hundred or more acres (40 ha) of land on part of the property.

• a group who have common interests search for and buy a block of land suitable for their needs.

• a person has a property and invites others to buy a share so that they can jointly develop it.

Which path you travel down depends on your circumstances and the situations that arise. Sharing that journey with others reduces the burden and is generally more rewarding and fruitful.

Like any permaculture design, the formation of ecovillages involves a series of stages such as research and collating information about the site, the design of the infrastructure on the landscape, and developing guidelines for the implementation and management phases.

The actual design of the community also develops in a series of stages - generally in the order of:

• reserves and communal land, including forested areas, walkways, trails and recreation (such as ovals).

Ecovillages need to have structures and plans to maximise water storage, set aside land for housing, orchards and garden areas, natural forest and crop areas, and sites for community shops, school, hall and roadways.

Elements, such as those just listed, placed in the design need to be connected, rather than isolated objects on their own.

Humans need to be connected too, and human settlements and communities are an integral part of the permaculture lifestyle.

The development of particular infrastructure such as earthworks, buildings, roads and installation of services needs to be funded.

Potential buyers or residents of the village may need to provide money for site development, which can be placed in a trust and used as various stages occur.

Either the group pools their resources and funds in this way, or a land developer provides the financial outlay and he/she takes their percentage and costs from the sale of titles. The developer may either have the necessary funds or they will raise the capital from potential investors or through loans.

The costs for some stages may be paid by means other than money. Contractors for earthworks, road construction or other major service supplies may choose to take equity in the property, as one or more house sites, rather than cash. They may choose to become residents themselves or sell the house site/s at some later date -provided that this is legal in your state or country.

Not all villages need to be located on vacant or rural land. Ecovillages can be set up in a city by utilising adjoining houses in a block, or the flats or units of a housing complex.

A community really focuses on the human component, rather than the structural and physical components.

Any village development on rural land, however, generally has the greatest startup costs. It is better for a group of people who want to form a village to look for land alongside an existing village or where essential services are already established. It is especially important that abundant, clean water is available and that enough water can be harvested, stored and recycled on the site.

Furthermore, if energy generation is to be considered, then supplies of wood or high pressure water may be important. The site might lend itself to solar and wind harvesting, as alternative or appropriate energies such as these have less impact on the environment. Some of the criteria that you could consider when purchasing a block or looking for a site were discussed in Chapter 7.

On-site waste disposal is an important consideration. Dry composting toilets for each household minimise water use. All greywater can be treated at each house site or, where appropriate, at one or more central treatment plants. These could comprise a series of settling tanks or ponds and reed beds - in either ponds or subsurface flow.

The community should take responsibility for its own wastes and recycle or treat these as much as possible. We have to change the belief that the Earth has an endless capacity to absorb human wastes.

A village may refer to houses in a particular area, but it also contains the village centre where workshops, the school, stores, hall and other buildings are found. In particular, a community hall with meeting rooms and a kitchen is essential.

This may be used as a school; the community library; to run workshops and courses; general meetings of community members; the co-ordinating centre in cases of emergency, such as threats of fire; and for business operations, such as a coffee shop, fruit and vegetable co-op or a community deli.

Larger communities may want to build a large workshop where vehicle repairs, welding and wood turning can be carried out. The village design should advocate the minimal use of cars by designing for people and not machines.

Roads should be narrow or curved (even installing speed humps at the main road entry) to reduce the speed of traffic, and walkways and narrow pedestrian streets can be built.

Some vehicles are a necessity these days. Consider a bulk fuel supply for residents by having a community petrol bowser or petrol stored in tanks or drums at a central depot. This can mean savings to residents.

However, you usually have to obtain permission for fuel depots such as these from local and state authorities. Find out about the rules and regulations before you start planning.

A full range of tools such as lathes, posthole digger, chipper or mulcher, electric saws and so on, can be loaned to members through the community LETS system.

The community may also own a range of vehicles such as a backhoe, a front-end-loader (FEL) tractor with implements and attachments for soil conditioning, and a truck or van for carting large objects and goods. A bobcat is not needed as the slower backhoe and FEL tractor will do the same job.

The site design for the community, the implementation schedule and management plan should be made available to all residents.

There may also be legal requirements for certain management statements and property plans to be prepared.

In particular, the trustees of the land trust need to set up monitoring and reporting strategies on the development of the site as time passes.

Changes to the design, and other initiatives, should be recorded so that future monitoring and management can be effective.

Existing residents and intending buyers should be informed of any changes to the design and, wherever possible, actively involved in the review process.

A range of different types of dwellings is appropriate for villages. Most would be individual family homes, but the community may wish to have single or double bedroom units for temporary accommodation for visitors or workers (either contractors or employees). These units could also be used for emergency accommodation in times of family crisis.

Furthermore, elderly people may prefer small units, so a selection of housing types may be required to meet all of the needs of future residents.

The actual style of the house and its building materials should be left up to the individual.

However, it would be hoped that a community would insist that all houses have solar access, screens for privacy, and be able to utilise gravity for water movement - from greywater, roof run-off and so on, down towards garden areas or storage tanks.

The community may also want to set standards for house design to avoid adverse visual impact, poor construction and the use of inappropriate building materials. Most houses can even have their own rainwater tank, thus reducing the burden on the community supply. This is not that critical in countries that have a year-round rainfall.

When allocating the number of titles or house sites for a particular development, about two-thirds to three-quarters, or more, can be sold to community members. The community may want the titles of the other quarter to a third to be kept, in trust, for use by the community to subsidise low-income families or to attract essential recruits who can offer services such as medical, administration, education, engineering and construction skills.

Part of the design process is to choose and mark any potential house sites. Clients can then pick which one they want.

It should be clear, and accepted by all community members, that they are not allowed to choose their own site in the bush or on top of hills or on the valley floor.

However, they may be able to select their actual site within the building envelope, as this will depend on topographical and other features of the site.

Houses should never be sited on ridgeways, as these sites are exposed to extremes of heat and cold, high winds and greater risk of erosion and ground movement.

Figure 13.7 Sometimes houses can be placed along a few contour lines, so that more of a hillside or slope can be utilised.

Ideally, all house sites are placed in practical, warmer areas of the hillside. If a client wants a view, they can walk up the hill to an observation post where they can sit and view the surrounding countryside at their leisure.

Building houses in the thermal belt on a hillside makes sense. All services can be supplied along one main road on the contour as it curves around the hills.

Figure 13.8 Clusters of houses (an enclave) is a good design strategy. There is a balance between privacy and community living and social interaction.

This is a single service system - power, water, gas, telephone line and access road all along the same path, as shown in Figure 13.6.

Figure 13.9 Design for people. Here, houses are grouped around a common area, with cycle paths and walkways to link small hamlets. The access road is positioned at the back of the houses.

Earthworks and contractors’ fees will be minimised if the job is easy and simple to do, and can be done in a short time.

The arrangement of houses varies from community to community. Small clusters of about half-a-dozen houses (an enclave) is a good human settlement strategy, as there is some privacy as well as allowing for social interaction.

You can even have clusters as themes, such as art and craft, plants and propagation or wilderness conservation. People can then choose which group has similar interests to themselves and live in that area.

Figure 13.10 Another alternative is to have houses around a central access road.

Early in the formative stage, prior to any development of the village, various aims, objectives and general statements about the ethics of the group should be developed.

This mission or ethic statement should be a broad, realistic goal that usually does not promote a particular belief system and which is universally accepted by all members of the community.

Often, the statement reflects a stewardship focus, such as “care of the Earth”.

Obviously, religious groups will want to specify the beliefs and values they wish all members to uphold, and this becomes their creed.

The ethics statement influences the direction taken in the development of any financial, legal and physical structures in human settlements.

Several trusts may need to be set up to administer these aspects of the community. For example, one trust may be needed for the sale of land and the general management of common land, including the future development of community buildings.

This would be a land trust that is shared equally by all members of the community or is used by particular residents for some purpose.

Legal structures are needed so that common land held by a trust is managed by a company (as trustee) with various elected residents as company directors.

This arrangement will then allow residents to be able to lease parcels of land for some small sum of money or undertake its use with an agreed-to arrangement.

For example, it might be agreed that ten percent of profits from an enterprise be returned to the community as community funds.

A second trust could handle all business trading operations. The business, money-earning activities from land use and other community enterprises should be managed by a trustee for this type of trust.

This trust needs continual income for the maintenance of roads, fences, water supply and other services, as well as capital expenditure for machinery and equipment.

It can generate income from the lease or hire of equipment, tools or land, or set annual charges (as a maintenance fee) that all households pay.

You can find out about trusts and how they operate from accountants and lawyers. These people will complete and submit the necessary paperwork to register a trust and trustee companies.

Trusts do have some rules, such as an annual meeting of trustees, but these are minimal and not overbearing.

It is possible for large communities to generate jobs for many villagers on the site - ranging from firewood collection to supplies of fruit and vegetables and meat, milk and milk products, herbs, nursery plants, building materials such as timber and mudbricks, and so on.

For example, a dairy processing centre is one option. One family could operate a dairy for goats or cows and sell milk and milk products such as yoghurt, cream, butter and cheese to villagers.

This is another example of keeping money inside the community boundaries and letting it circulate only within the community.

A number of small villages in a region can form a trading co-operative. This opens up other opportunities for trade, manufacturing and industry.

Scattered ecovillages themselves need to network with other villages to further pool resources.

Villages should encourage the settlement of a broad range of people who will provide natural diversity within the group.

Individuals or families, with a wide range of incomes, should be able to join the community. They may be able to “pay for their share” by sweat equity or some other satisfactory arrangement.

This means that instead of paying money for their share in the property, they may be able to physically work for the community in some way, from administration tasks to building houses, to maintaining common food-producing areas, to planting trees to rehabilitate degraded areas.

One option for the community is to set up a credit union as a financial body to make low-interest loans available to residents, so that everyone is able to have the same opportunities of living and working in the community.

Furthermore, the community may want to recruit particular individuals who they need for further development and expansion. Providing house sites, shares or other incentives will entice prospective community villagers.

The actual sale of land units or titles, held by a group of people, may have to be undertaken by a licensed real estate agent, depending on the laws and regulations in the state or country. Individuals can usually sell their own land. The necessary information and the offer and acceptance forms are readily available from newsagents and some stationery suppliers.

The other main aspect of community life is the community bylaws. Each community group needs to get together to decide the ‘house rules’, such as whether pets can be kept, and, if so, which ones are suitable, which ones are not, how many, which areas are restricted to pets and which allow access.

This should not be an exhaustive list of restrictions, but rather a short list of ten or so basic rules to which everybody agrees.

Various community members should be responsible for different aspects of community life. It is a good idea to give responsibility to different individuals, so that many residents are involved in the day-to-day running operations.

It might be that a small group of residents becomes responsible for administrating and formulating these bylaws, and they might develop regulations about music and noise curfews, or about how people can buy into or out of the community. For example, the arrangement for buying and selling housing sites can vary.

In some villages, residents can live in houses they build, but they cannot sell for profit.

If they leave, the ownership of the house reverts back to the community. Some money can be paid by the community as compensation.

In other communities, houses and a small area of land surrounding the house site are privately owned. Owners can sell their houses for whatever price they wish.

In some communities the new buyers have to be approved by the group, in other communities there are no such restrictions.

Permaculture communities, I believe, should be developed in such a way that those who live on the property are all like-minded, and only those who adhere to the community ethics should be encouraged to settle in the community.

Administrators have to have a clear vision for the future potential and development of the community, including promoting responsible land use practices, having a good knowledge of financial dealings and constraints, and being able to make decisions that will benefit both individuals and all members of the community.