For most of our existence, humans have lived in tribes or extended families. This helps make better use of scarce resources such as housing, heating, etc. Only in the past century has the first world achieved the wealth for each nuclear family to have its own dwelling, appliances, and utiltiies. While there are clearly advantages to this, some people find it unsatisfying to be so isolated. The Co-housing, or Intentional Community movement has developed in response to this. An IC is any group of people deliberately living together, which can mean anything from a college co-op to a commune.