Crafting Common Understanding at Witchcliffe Ecovillage
When one community radically rethinks how people live together, everyone benefits from their discoveries. The folks at Witchcliffe Eco Village in Western Australia's wine country are showing what's possible when residents reimagine not just sustainable living, but how they make decisions together.
Their story resonates because they're tackling a challenge that countless communities and housing cooperatives face: How do we make decisions effectively without drowning in bureaucracy or burning money on management services that don't quite fit. Their solution? A beautiful blend of human connection and Loomio's digital platform. Loomio is an open-source app that helps communities and organizations track ideas, proposals and integrate their decision making.
"Most of us came from places where you buy your lot, put up your fence, and maybe wave to your neighbours," one resident explains. Located just 10 km south of the Margaret River, this ambitious project isn't just about creating sustainable infrastructure – it's about reinventing community governance from the ground up.
Witchcliffe has created what they call an "ecosystem of engagement." It’s a brilliant strategy that organizes communication pathways for the community. Quick updates, like a potluck announcement, happen on social media. But Loomio is where the real community memory lives. Meeting minutes, agendas, decisions, objections – it's all there, creating an invaluable archive that any community group would envy.
"Loomio becomes indispensable when combined with personal interaction," one of their community members shares. There is no substitute for in-person relationship building, to be sure. But for a community with remote owners and part-time residents (a familiar scenario for many communities), their hybrid approach has been successful for the village. “People have good confidence that the processes are fair.”
Picture this: 100 households (soon to be 350) learning to work together in entirely new ways. They've created five instances of Loomio, one for each neighbourhood cluster. These digital town squares are where residents shape their community's future together by having dialogues, discussing options, and co-creating agreements. This is a model that points to exciting possibilities for other multi-unit communities seeking more control over their destiny.
Their journey reveals valuable insights. When Witchcliffe first opened up Loomio to everyone, it was like throwing open the floodgates. "We learned pretty quickly that effective collaboration needs more structure," a resident admits. Now their communications working group guides proposals through a clear process before decisions get made. This approach has transformed everything from their garden management to the use of their community buildings – everyday challenges every community faces.
A recent playground improvement project showcases their process. Loomio offered discussion boards, places to share proposals, media, vote, and create invaluable spaces where research and feedback could all live transparently. Everyone could have a real say, even if they couldn't make it to physical meetings.
The transparency piece particularly resonates. "We come from a culture where we don't necessarily trust the people in charge," one resident confides. So they've made everything visible in Loomio – not just the decisions, but all the thinking behind them. It's worlds away from traditional strata management, and it's working. People like the clarity, and are willing to do their part to document decisions and participate.
Most significantly, they've discovered that voting works best when conversations and groundwork happen first. Before jumping to a vote, it is critical to build common understanding. Loomio's real magic lies in how it helps support thoughtful discussion and shared solutions. The tool isn’t a replacement for one-to-one connection or in-person relationships. But it is offering these folks a genuine alternative to conventional housing or strata management – one where everyone has a voice.
Looking ahead, they're exploring even more exciting possibilities with Loomio. A village-wide instance could help connect their different clusters while keeping that all-important local autonomy.
For any housing collective dreaming of taking control of their own governance, Witchcliffe's story lights the way. They're showing how more democratic, cost-effective community management is possible. But more than that, they're proving that with the right tools and intention, communities can build stronger, more connected futures together.
This is what the future of community living looks like. To find out more, or start a free trial of Loomio, click here: www.loomio.com
