22/06/2017
Community Construction Projects
The increasing house prices, lack of housing and rising cost of living, as well as environmental issues, will require alternative construction methods to remedy. The inevitable end of fossil fuels also requires alternative agriculture methods to insure all people have access to food.
The easiest way to organise a large scale construction and agriculture event is by organising the management based around community collective businesses that work alongside local community groups, who liaise with the local Council.
To promote community groups and community collective businesses council’s need allow for areas to be turned into gardens. Community groups would then work alongside a community collective business to set up a maintenance schedule for all the gardens in the community. People looking for extra work could sign up with the community collective business, let them know what times they are available for work, then the community collective business would assign jobs.
Community groups could also set up nurseries that grew plants for community gardens, ecological projects and for private sale. These nurseries will be able to offer people the opportunity to earn time credits whenever they wanted. People working in the nurseries will receive 20 time-credits per hour, which will be roughly the equivalent of $20 per hour since the produce will be sold at the relative price in the wider society. In larger nurseries, the community group may organise for someone to be present at all times during the nursery opening hours.
Community nurseries and garden areas could be funded by many people investing in potting mix, seed-trays, tools, irrigation, etc. These people will receive 20% of the annual profits until their investments are paid back plus 3%.
Once many people become interested in the community collective, opportunities for larger investments will become possible, such as housing development or tourism ventures. Members of the community may choose to jointly invest in the construction of a house and garden. It may be possible for people to get financial assistance for investing larger sums of money by adding to their existing home loan or taking out a short term loan. Considering the rising house prices and the need for more housing, a house and garden investment, linked to a community collective business, will be appealing to many financial institutions.
Members of the community may raise $300,000 to buy a piece of land, build a 3 bedroom house and set up a self-sufficient garden for a family of four. The community group may agree that investors receive a 3% increase in their financial contribution.
People working on the project will be paid time-credits. A builder may charge 45 time credits-per hour, which would be the equivalent of $45 per hour. Someone unqualified to manage a house construction will receive 20 time-credits per hour. The community group will decide how much experienced and qualified workers are paid, which will be based on supply and demand in the industry. Workers will be able to sell their time-credits throughout the year buying food or using other time-credit services. These time-credits will be attached to the specific house they were earned on.
Once the house and garden construction is complete, the house will be sold at auction. There will be a minimum reserve set at the cost of paying for the finance and to cover the cost of wages. Any profit made thereafter will go toward funding community infrastructure, education and community services.
