About Cohousing
Photo Credit: Studio Co+Hab
What is Cohousing?
Cohousing is an intentional community that combines private living spaces with shared indoor and outdoor spaces, designed to support connection, collaboration, and an interdependent life.
Why Cohousing
People are looking for more than just a place to live. They are looking for connection, support, and a real sense of belonging. Cohousing offers a way to create that, combining private living spaces with shared amenities and a culture of collaboration.
In cohousing communities, neighbors know each other, share meals, lend a hand, and make decisions together. This often leads to stronger social connections, increased safety, shared resources, and a higher quality of life. For families, it can mean extra trusted adults in their children’s lives. For older adults, it can mean the ability to age with independence while staying connected. For many, it simply means not having to do life alone.
At a time when loneliness is rising and housing costs are increasing, cohousing offers a practical and hopeful model: neighborhoods designed for connection, resilience, and a more supportive everyday life
Connected Relationships
The core of cohousing is living in relationship. Most communities find 20-40 units is about the right size to know each other well.
Smaller Footprint
Cohousing communities prioritize sustainability through shared resources, smaller environmental footprints, and a collective commitment to caring for the land and each other.
Private Spaces
Cohousing is built around the balance of privacy and connection, with fully private homes alongside shared spaces that bring neighbors together when they choose.
Common Spaces
Common spaces like shared kitchens, gardens, courtyards, and gathering areas create natural opportunities for connection, collaboration, and everyday community life.
Participation
Cohousing communities are shaped by the active participation of residents, who share responsibility for decisions, activities, and the culture of their community.
Shared Values
Cohousing communities are grounded in shared values like connection, mutual support, and respect, which help create a strong foundation for living well together.
Types of Cohousing
FAQ
Is cohousing a new idea?
Cohousing is new to many Americans, but the concepts that led to modern cohousing have been around for thousands of years and appear in writings throughout history. The first modern cohousing community was built in Denmark in 1972. Chuck Durrett and Katie McCamant brought the idea to the US, writing a book on the topic in 1988. Multigenerational, collectivist living has existed in many forms for all of human existence.
Is there a lot of cohousing in the US?
Around the world when people learn about cohousing, they begin to envision a better life leading to a movement that includes more than 165 communities occupied in the US and about 140 in formation.
How does sharing work in cohousing?
In addition to sharing large common spaces, usually including a common house, cohousers adopt a culture of sharing. Some things we share by purchasing them as a community and making them available in shared spaces. Other things we own privately and offer for the use of others. We believe in sharing what we have and borrowing what we need. Whether it is a teaspoon of salt, a crochet hook, or a pickup truck, we’re generally happy for our neighbors to use what we own and often offer expertise to go with it. We care for one another every day in small ways, and when health or life brings crisis, we join together to give whatever support is needed. We relish the joy of giving, and embrace the security of receiving from one another.
How are cohousing relationships different than a typical subdivision?
We believe that connection with others is a core need of humans. Our communities are designed so that we cross paths with each other often. We intentionally take the time to stop and chat when we can. We choose to eat together on a regular basis, work on community projects together and play together. In short, we make choices every day that support our relationships with our neighbors. We commit to share major assets; this requires give and take to manage collectively, bringing us closer together. We believe this makes us healthier, happier and more resilient.
What is “green” about cohousing?
Daily practices of composting and recycling combine with environmentally conscious building practices to reduce waste and energy use. Living close together makes it easy to collaborate on recycling items not picked up by city services, sharing rides, and rehoming things we no longer need.
Is all cohousing architecture the same?
While appearance varies widely based on region, urban or rural location, and the preferences of the founders, there are some basic ideas that define the architectural style that is cohousing. Homes are clustered together, leaving room for common courtyards in dense urban areas and gardens and playfields in less dense areas. Private homes are on the small side, leaving space and resources for a common house where people gather, share meals, do laundry and host guests. Homes and common house are joined by pedestrian paths where residents pause to chat, gather to play and smile in passing. Cars are parked on the perimeter to keep interior paths safe for pedestrians. Energy efficiencies and sustainable features are designed into buildings from the start. Connected townhouses reduce winter heat loss while increasing interactions between neighbors.
Is cohousing expensive?
In most cases, cohousing homes cost about the same as other homes in the area, yet cohousers live a life of abundance. With shared meals and activities in the common house just steps away, we drive less and save on fuel. Knowing that our neighbors probably have whatever we might need, we think less about things and more about being together. Borrowing rather than buying means we spend less money on things.
Is it hard to get along?
Sometimes. Most of us don’t have much experience with this kind of togetherness before we move in. Disagreements do happen. Communities that invest in good process and facilitation training find systems that work well for them. Together we embrace the challenges of so much sharing, helping each other grow into our best selves along the way.
Have a question about Cohousing? Let us know!
