A notable landscape architect, psychologist, and community activist, Karl Linn was the inspiration for A Lot in Common. For over forty years in cities around the country, he has created neighborhood commons like the one featured in the film, peaceful places in which neighbors can gather and build community. His many hours of interviews over the five years of production provide the backbone for the narrative of the documentary. Karl died peacefully at his home in Berkeley, California on February 3, 2005.

Here are some excerpts:

"Throughout these last 75 years, what really happened to me made me realize how important it is to live in a society that’s based on tolerance and multiculturalism. I was born and raised on a farm in northern Germany, and I grew up in this incredible 15 acres of fruit trees. And during springtime, when all the trees were in bloom, it looked just absolutely incredible. Just like a fairy land.

The farm was about half a mile away from the village, and we were the only Jewish family in a huge, huge region. I know how difficult it was for me as the only Jewish kid. When Hitler took power in January 1933, my schoolmates suggested that I join the Hitler Youth movement because they had a lot of fun going camping and had a real sense of community, and I knew I couldn’t do that.

And a few months later they realized that I was the only convenient target to practice on, and from time to time I could hear the Nazis’ goose-step as they walked down the cobblestone street towards the farm, checking the house out and threatening us. And my experience with racism motivated me to devote my life to contribute to the emergence of a humane society. That’s the way I’ve attempted to live my daily life. To create joy and possibility that’s inspiring, but underneath it all, there’s a lot of pain. A lot of pain.

We never know what will happen with the future, and I concluded how important it is for me not to be a pessimist or an optimist, but a “possibilist,” to create possibilities of working with people creating life-supportive, life-affirmative small projects that could be inspiring and enrich people’s lives."