What is Cohousing?

Chances are that if you've found this web site, you have a pretty good idea of what cohousing is, and have more than a passing interest in living in a cohousing community.

However, if you've seen an ad someplace and are not sure what it is, read on.

A brief introduction to cohousing

Cohousing is one of the most rapidly growing trends in housing in the United States today. Cohousing communities are often formed by individuals and families who are seeking an alternative to high stress living in subdivisions or other settings where there is little sense of community. When first introduced in the United States, these communities were developed by groups of friends or like minded individuals who were committed to a process of consensual decision making: from the first decision to proceed to create a community, through the steps required to develop the project and, once  completed, to the day to day management of the community. In a sense, these projects are like "Cheers" of sitcom fame, "a place where everyone knows your name".

One of the first steps that cohousing groups take is to create a statement of values, or a mission statement, reflecting the priorities of the group. The vision statements of several groups can be found on the national cohousing network web site. These, and a more detailed description of cohousing can be found at:

http://www.cohousing.org

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