Cohousing communities respond to the needs of contemporary lifestyles by combining the autonomy of private dwellings with the advantages of community living. Initially pioneered in Denmark twenty years ago, the cohousing concept reestablishes many of the advantages of traditional villages within the context of late twentieth-century life.

Each household has a private residence but also shares extensive common facilities such as a dining hall, children’s playrooms, workshops, guest rooms, and laundry facilities. Although individual dwellings are designed to be self-sufficient and each has its own kitchen, the common facilities, and particularly common dinners, are important aspects of community life for both social and practical reasons.

Characteristics of cohousing communities:

1. Participatory Process: Residents participate in the planning and design of the development so that it responds directly to their needs.
2. Neighborhood design: the physical design itself encourages a sense of community.
3. Extensive common facilities: the common house is designed for daily use to supplement the private living areas.
4. Complete resident management: Residents take complete responsibility for the ongoing management, organizing cooperatively to meet their changing needs.

What cohousing communities have to offer:

• A balance of both privacy and community

• A safe and supportive environment for children

• A practical and spontaneous lifestyle

• Intergenerational neighborhoods

Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett introduced the cohousing concept in the United States with their book Cohousing: A contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves. In the two years since the book was published, the cohousing concept and the authors’ work with groups in the United States have received national recognition including coverage on ABC’s World News Tonight, NBC’s today Show, and articles in Architecture, Utne Reader, the Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles times, SanFrancisco Examiner and the New York Times.

Thousands of Americans from all across the country have responded enthusiastically to the possibility of living in a cohousing community. The housing approach attracts people of all ages, income levels, and family situations. Working parents, older couples whose children have left home, singles of all ages, and single parents are attracted by its practical and spontaneous lifestyle.

Cohousing Resources

Books

Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett, Cohousing: A contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves (Ten Speed Press; 1988).