### 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.

### Related Patterns
... 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 neighborhood will do the same -- [[Identifiable Neighborhood (14)]]. To fulfill this promise, communities and neighborhoods 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)]].

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> [!cite]- Alexander, Christopher. _A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction_. Oxford University Press, 1977, p. 139.
> #APL/confidence/medium
>
> #APL/Town-Patterns/Community-Policies