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Cohousing Resources
One particular book has been a cornerstone for many successful multigenerational cohousing communities. Charles Durrett and Katheryn McCamant brought the Danish cohousing concept to America, and they introduced cohousing through this useful book - it is easy to understand, and the stories within are beautifully told. They coined the English term "cohousing," meaning "collaborative housing."
"If I could make only one suggestion for your long-term success and the continued success of cohousing, it would be that all your prospective members have read this book, and that the folks in your town/area know what cohousing is. It is better for your community and the success of cohousing if people who are buying a house in your cohousing community actually know what cohousing is—in detail. New residents who have read the book and refer to it from time to time are the happier buyers. It sets the community up to succeed and helps get people in your cohousing community who want to be in cohousing. And it makes it more fun for everyone. "(Charles Durrett)
Buy "Creating Cohousing" from Amazon here.
This is Charles Durrett's most recent book. It is chock full of important & updated information.
"This book is for people who care about architecture as a social act. This book is for architects, sociologists, and housing advocates. For families that want to be best assured that they are moving into a high-functioning neighborhood and that their children can grow up as happy and healthy as possible. For seniors that seek alternatives to institutions or isolation. It’s for planners and politicians who want high-functioning neighborhoods as building blocks to their towns. For people planning shared housing, co-living, ecovillages, churches, hospitals, mixed-use commercial/ housing, and childcare centers and schools. This book is for developers who want to make much better than average multi-family housing, and non-profit housing developers who know that housing first is great but that community first will take us further. This book is for colleges and universities planning new neighborhoods for retired alumni, or new housing for students and faculties. And this book is for towns making, planning and walking streets, and other town altering improvements into the future wherever a highly functional community is a priority. This book is definitely for anyone planning a new cohousing community or improving an older one."
National Cohousing Associations
Worldwide
National Cohousing Associations are a treasure trove of information, courses and workshops, events, cohousing professional listings, and useful discussions.
Under Construction
Bofaellesskab Denmark
Danish Cohousing Association
https://bofaellesskab.dk/
Samenhauizen
Belgian Cohousing Association
https://www.samenhuizen.be/
Samenhuizen promotes and supports all types of collaborative housing and intentional communities. Since 2000 we are active in the Belgian regions of Flanders and Brussels.For anyone who dreams about living differently with less private space and more quality.
Centraal Wonen
Netherlands National Cohousing Association
https://woongroepen.nl
https://www.facebook.com/woongroepennederland
The Netherlands‘ first cohousing (“Centraal Wonen”) was built in the mid-70s. Today there are more than 100 Centraal Wonen projects in the Netherlands. The Netherlands have created a particular type of cohousing model, which is based on the organisation of large cohousing communities into clusters of 5 to 10 units. Each of these clusters has its own common facilities and the right to choose its new members, however, there is one large commonly shared building for parties, meetings etc. Around half the cohousing projects in the Netherlands are large scale. There are some 300 senior cohousing communities (“Groepswonen van Ouderen”) in the Netherlands. (From UK Cohousing Network site: https://cohousing.org.uk/cohousing-in-the-uk-and-worldwide/)
Kollecktivhus NU
Swedish National Cohousing Association- Cohousing NOW
http://kollektivhus.se/category/english
under contruction
is an association working to promote collaborative housing and other alternative ways of living. The association supports existing co-housing units as well as groups intending to create new units. Originally formed in 1981, it has recently been revitalized with the prime purpose to inform the public about cohousing as an alternative, and influencing authorities to facilitate the creation and running of such units.
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Sweden also has a long-standing cohousing tradition. The Swedish feminist movement played a key role to promote cohousing as a way to share common chores more equally between the genders. Today, the association Kollektivhus Nu (“Cohousing Now”) is successful in promoting the idea across the country. In Sweden most of the Cohousing projects are state-owned, as they were developed as part of a large societal project of an active welfare state; recently built cohousing however is now also privately owned.From: UK Cohousing network site: https://cohousing.org.uk/cohousing-in-the-uk-and-worldwide/
In Germany the opportunity of the ‘baugruppen’ model for groups to access land has led to significant growth in Cohousing; there are more than 150 Cohousing projects in Berlin’s region alone, giving rise to the of Berlin being a worldwide centre for Cohousing.
Cohousing is now growing in the rest of Europe, namely France, Spain, Belgium, and Italy. In Italy two types of cohousing organisations have emerged Cohousing Venture, a private cohousing consultancy firm, and CoHabitando and CoAbitare, both non-profit companies.
The Danish term bofællesskab (living community) was introduced to North America as Cohousing by two American architects, Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett.
Since the first cohousing community was completed in the