Some of the more well-known communal experiments were conducted by the Shakers and the Hutterites. A significant wave of commune formation also took place in the 1960s. Eco-village is a term which seems to lack a precise definition. Egeberg's eco-village is a network of neighbors in a suburban area who communicate through a newsletter. Intentional community, like eco-village, is also a term which seems difficult to precisely define.
Many different criteria exist for the type of community which falls into the definition.
As with the others described on this page, these communities are usually cooperatives of some form. The Intentional Communities list bears links to the Web pages of many of these communities. But very little land is unowned, so if you're squatting, it's probably on land owned by the government or land that is privately held. If squatter communities are not something you have heard a lot about, it should come as no surprise. These communities are part of the informal economy which does its best to avoid the detection of authorities.