Urban Commune...Hmm...

Maybe I have just gone 'round the bend, and perhaps this post will be proof. Lately I have been thinking a rather lot about the nature of human community. It's a theme I return to again and again; humans needing to be in community with one another is an important part of my personal ecclesiology.
This latest return to the subject was prompted by I am Legend which Carson and I saw a the theater a while back. The novel on which this film, Omega Man, I am Omega, and The Last Man on Earth were all based describes the growing burden solitude presents for the main character. Will Smith may not be recognized as one of the great actors of our time (because he probably isn't), but his nuanced and tenderly heartbreaking performance was one of the best I have ever seen in this genre. Kudos to Mr. Smith for his investment into this side of the character; a side, I might mention, that Mr. Heston didn't even attempt.
So anyway, Carson and I are coming to terms with our decision not to be parents. One of the consequences of which is the fact that Carson and I are pretty much all we can count on for domestic human companionship. This is not remarkable for American middle-class people our age, but in the course of human history this lifestyle is really novel. Not that long ago the idea for two people to be living alone would have been seen as strange (even on the frontier). The business of living was shared by many adults all pulling together. Extended families lived with or next to one another and supported each other not just with labor or finances, but with those harder to measure things community brings like human contact. The tasks of working and housekeeping is more than two people can stay atop, particularly if you want to do both well. The solution lies in the adage, "many hands make for light work."
Carson and I were talking about all this over dinner last night when I wondered aloud if there were urban communes. When I think about communal living I end up picturing agrarian hippie types who cast off concepts of ownership and urban life, which is a cute, quixotic vision, but holds little appeal for yours truly. Carson suggested that a group of young professionals could go in together for the purchase of an old hotel, and that even after renovations it might still be cheaper than renting or buying lots of individual dwellings, and that when somebody wanted to move out they could sell their portion to a new member.
His idea really captured my imagination. I saw a group of people taking a hotel and altering it to contain a collection of one or two bedroom units that share common areas (like kitchen, dinning, living) Depending on the overall size of the project shared spaces could include several dens, a dedicated childcare area, a library, a multi-work station office area for flex workers, console video game room, paper-pencil/ board game room, solarium/ garden, or party room.
Group members would contribute 1. effort (scheduled cooking, cleaning (of common areas), child care, building upkeep, etc) and 2. money (both initially to "buy in" and monthly to cover costs of cable, internet, electricity, water). Meals would be prepared for whoever is around for that meal and wants to eat. Those cooking would make food for people who noted on a sign-up sheet that they would be in for the meal.
There are things that would need to be ensured. The group would need a pretty clearly defined social contract, rooms would need to provide sufficient "private" space and amenities, the soundproofing that is typically used in hotels would be substandard for this application -- it would need upgrading, and rooms would need to provide sufficient closet/storage space. Group members would elect a "bill payer" semi-annually who would collect the monthly bill portion and pay the communal bills. People would still have person bank accounts, retirement plans, person wealth (we're talking communal living, not communism).
Are there glaring flaws in my wild idea? Post a comment and let me know