Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves

by Kathryn McCamant

A movement that began in Europe has taken hold in North America because it provides some real answers for the increasing number of people who stop to look at where and how they live and at their impact on the environment. Cohousing is a way for a group of people to work together to develop places to live that offer both privacy and community with the values of an old-fashioned neighborhood-safety, independence, mutual concern. Many of these new ventures are up and running and many more are in the planning stages. Delivering more bang for the buck, this innovative approach to housing is challenging the formidable housing problems we face, and it is succeeding.

Genres: Nonfiction, Architecture, Design

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Jim Dressner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cohousing, where a group of people design and manage their own housing complex around goals for creating community. The descriptions in the first few chapters makes it sound almost utopian--except for the numerous meetings for making decisions. All the examples--in northern Europe and in the USA--are seen positively by residents, even though there were many struggles in making the cohousing effort a reality.

The book is a good introduction to cohousing: how a group starts the process, various models for organizing and designing, struggles along the way, and lessons learned. It is also inspiring, making you yearn for a richer experience of community and for the built environment to facilitate it. One weakness: all but 2 or 3 of the cohousing communities described seem isolated from the neighborhood surrounding them. I'd like to see more work done to integrate cohousing communities into the broader community.

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been out for quite awhile, but, in the new light now cast on climate change, sustainabilty, carbon footprints, how we must use and conserve energy and materials, public transportation, open planted green spaces including gardening and pollinator conservation, renewable energy, increased direct social contacts offsetting the individuation caused by the electronic world, children' education and upbringinging and the care of the elderly and a host of other current issues - it is fantastically more relevant than ever. We must consider this as a new norm to replace the American dream of one suburban lot and house and garage.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clear and engaging overview of what cohousing is, how it works, and extensive examples of the development of specific cohousing communities in Europe (mostly Denmark) and the United States. Gives a clear sense of the advantages and potential drawbacks of living in cohousing, as well as how to get started developing a cohousing community yourself.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

[Nick Klagge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cohousing is an approach to residential living in which several families (or couples or singles) live in individual dwellings as part of a planned community that also includes some shared common facilities, most notably a communal kitchen and dining area. It is different from fully shared housing because the individual units also have their own separate (if perhaps small) cooking and eating facilities, but also different from fully independent housing, because of the common facilities, and also because the development is designed (participatively by the prospective residents) to encourage socialization (for example, locating parking on the outside of the development and having pedestrian-only walkways on the interior). Elise and I first heard about (roughly) this type of arrangement via the "Story of Stuff" author Annie Leonard, who lives in what she refers to as a "kampung" (Malay or Bahasa for "village") in the Bay Area.

This book was written (in about 1990) by two Americans who spearheaded the development of the first American cohousing communities in the 1980s. It focuses on the development of the cohousing concept in Denmark in the 1970s, profiling a number of communities there, as well as looking at some of the American communities that the authors helped to organize.

Although the enterprise itself may be somewhat idealistic, the book is very practically oriented and includes lots of interesting information about the difficulties faced by communities trying to organize such projects. Overall, it warmed my 1970s NorCal heart.

[Cat Fithian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the home plans/sketches in the book. The information about how the communities formed and how they function is very interesting, too. Fascinating topic to me right now. My favorite was Chapter 5 about Jerngarden in Aarhus where they bought row houses along two corners of one block in the city, combined the backyards and so forth. Very cool stuff.

[Tanja Korvenmaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A profound guide to pinpoints in designing a house together. Liked it very much!

[James B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes Please!
Great introduction to 'co-housing'. Anyone know of any places???

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book about creating communities. The book explores several different cohousing communities, how they were built and how they work.

[Pax Ahimsa Gethen]

Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves by Kathryn McCamant (1993)