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Book Review! The
Cohousing Handbook, a groundbreaking and practical guide to creating
cohousing, is a must-have for the growing number of people who want to
build a cohousing community. Cohousing offers an end to the isolation of
the single-family suburban home. Balancing community and personal privacy,
cohousing is a chance to create a modern village in an urban or rural
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What is Cohousing . . ?What
is Cohousing? Cohousing is the name of a type of collaborative housing that attempts to overcome the alienation of modern subdivisions in which no-one knows their neighbours, and there is no sense of community. It is characterized by private dwellings with their own kitchen, living-dining room etc, but also extensive common facilities. The common building may include a large dining room, kitchen, lounges, meeting rooms, recreation facilities, library, workshops, childcare. Usually, cohousing communities are designed and managed by the residents, and are intentional neighbourhoods: the people are consciously committed to living as a community; the physical design itself encourages that and facilitates social contact. Cohousing is in the same realm as an
ecovillage but it emphasizes more towards the community
dynamics and social dimension of ecovillages. They wanted a community where they would know and trust their neighbours, that would be alive with adults talking and children playing, and that would be safer because people would look out for each other and strangers would be easily noticed. It would reduce the stress of their busy lives by easing day to day burdens such as child care and cooking. They wanted to create communities that would be environmentally sensitive and sustainable. They called their solution bofoellesskaber - literally translated as living communities (Canadian Cohousing Network, 2000). Today 10 percent of all new construction in Denmark is using this model and the concept has been spreading to other parts of the world (Canadian Cohousing Network, 2000). How we are different from other communities... Each family household has a privately owned (or rented) residence but also shares extensive common facilities. In the common room, there is an office with a printer and computer that has access Internet, a kitchen & dining area, children's playroom, workshop, guest room, and laundry facilities. Although individual dwellings are self-sufficient and each has its own kitchen, the common facilities, and particularly the shared meals, are an important aspect of community life both for social and practical reasons. Shared activities are optional. Pinakarri community members choose this form of housing because ....? Cohousing celebrates diversity, and espouses no ideology other than the creation of functional, easily managed, economically attractive community living. To learn more about Cohousing and Ecovillages, visit our Links and Resource Centre.
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