A Pattern Language

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Life Cycle (26)

Problem

“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.”

— Shakespeare, As You Like It

Solution

Make certain that the full cycle of life is represented and balanced in each community. Set the ideal of a balanced life cycle as a principal guide for the evolution of communities. This means:

  1. That each community include a balance of people at every stage of the life cycle, from infants to the very old; and include the full slate of settings needed for all these stages of life;
  2. That the community contain the full slate of settings which best mark the ritual crossing of life from one stage to the next.

… a real community provides, in full, for the balance of human experience and human life — Community of 7000 (12). To a lesser extent, a good neighbourhood will do the same — Identifiable Neighborhood (14). To fulfill this promise, communities and neighbourhoods must have the range of things which life can need, so that a person can experience the full breadth and depth of life in their community.

The rites of passage are provided for, most concretely, by Holy Ground (66). Other specific patterns which especially support the seven ages of man and the ceremonies of transition are Household Mix (35), Old People Everywhere (40), Work Community (41), Local Town Hall (44), Children in the City (57), Birth Places (65), Grave Sites (70), The Family (75), Your Own Home (79), Master and Apprentices (83), Teenage Society (84), Shopfront Schools (85), Children’s Home (86), Rooms to Rent (153), Teenager’s Cottage (154), Old Age Cottage (155), Settled Work (156), Marriage Bed (187).

Reference for full-text of Pattern: p. 139medium-confidence

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