Community Associations

Throughout history human beings have formed communities spontaneously with residences constructed haphazardly. Today a new type of community is emerging—one planned from the start regarding housing location style and governance. These Community Associations (CAs) have increased in number from 500 in 1960 to 205000 in 1998. This book explores the issues surrounding this housing innovation and provides a history of community associations and their membership organization the Community Associations Institute (CAI).The book explores the process of trial and error in the design of CAs and how the CAI was set up to help them work. It opens with a consideration of the economics of land housing and community associations; explores the social intellectual legal background for CAs; and surveys their development in the United States. After considering the FHA's role the book focuses on the development of the CAI .