Alternative communities, eco-villages, communes, eco-communities that are supposed to offer an alternative way of life are often called “intentional communities”.

An “intentional community” is defined as a group of people who have chosen to live together with a common purpose, working cooperatively to create a lifestyle that reflects their shared core values.

An “intentional community” therefore requires careful selection of residents while it is supposed to serve as a free-living community. A “values curriculum” is needed to get accepted.

We define as “unintentional community” a group of people who have not chosen to live together, and may not share a common purpose, but have to work cooperatively to survive. They might not care about lifestyle, but that is a lifestyle on its own.