Cohousing Neighbourhoods

Cohousing Neighbourhoods

Some people call them a return to the best of small-town communities. Others say they are like a traditional village or the close-knit neighbourhood where they grew up, while futurists call them an altogether new response to social, economic and environmental challenges of the 21st century. Each holds a piece of the truth. Cohousing is a concept that came to North America in 1988 from Denmark where it emerged over 25 years ago. It describes neighbourhoods that combine the autonomy of private dwellings with the advantages of shared resources and community living.

Cohousing communities balance the traditional advantages of home ownership with the benefits of shared common facilities and ongoing connections with your neighbors. These cooperative neighborhoods are one of the most promising solutions to many of today's most challenging social and environmental concerns. If you are new to the cohousing concept, take a look at What is Cohousing? and our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) of interest.

The Cohousing Webring
The goal of this webring is to link together cohousing sites so it is easier to find cohousing in your area.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/5292/

Directory of webrings

http://dir.webring.com/

Urban Ecologie
The Halifax EcoCity Project
http://www.urbanecology.org.au/halifax/home.html

International Cohousing

USA: The Cohousing Network

Nouvelle Zélande: Eco-Village & Cohousing Association of NZ

Australie: Cohousing Research & Education

Australie: Cohousing Network South Australia

Autres tendances:
Other community lifestyle alternatives.

Fellowship for Intentional Communities (U.S. based organization)

Canadian Co-operative Network

Sustainability

Demi Project (U.K. based organization)

Canadian Housing Issues

Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)

British Columbia

Vancouver Co-operative Auto Network

Co-operative Housing Federation of British Columbia

City Edge Housing Co-op

“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 neighbors, 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 neighborhoods: the people are consciously committed to living as a community; the physical design itself encourages that and facilitates social contact.
The typical cohousing community has 20 to 30 single family homes along a pedestrian street or clustered around a courtyard. Residents of cohousing communities often have several optional group meals in the common building each week.
This type of housing began in Denmark in the late 1960s, and spread to North America in the late 1980s. There are now around twenty cohousing communities across the continent, with many more in progress.”
Source: http://arc.co.uk/122946.arx

Cohousing resources
http://www.cohousingresources.com/

The Canadian Cohousing Network (CCN) was formed in 1992 in British Columbia, Canada. It is a registered non-profit organization that promotes the creation of cohousing communities as a model for sustainable development by raising public awareness about cohousing and by bringing people together to form communities. The most valuable function of the CCN is making connections with people who are interested in living in a cohousing community.
http://www.cohousing.ca/

The Cohousing Network USA
http://www.cohousing.org/

Living organically - Cohousing and Ecovillages
Most cohousing groups are in urban settings, and most eco-villages in rural locations.
http://www.living-organically.com/cohousing.html

UK - Cohousing
http://www.cohousing.org.uk/

Maziling list cohousing
http://lists.cohousing.org/mailman/listinfo

Denmark Cohousing
http://www.communitarian.net/cohonet/denmark/tour.html

Elder Cohousing Network
http://www.eldercohousing.org/

In 'Cohousing: a Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves' by Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett, the authors write that there are over 125 such Cohousing ('bofaellesskaber') communities in Denmark, ranging in size from six to 80 households. The authors have helped set up similar schemes in the States (see below). Here is a summary from the authors' description of the Trudeslund Community where they spent six months:
'I know I live in a community because on a Friday night it takes me 45 minutes and two beers to get from the parking lot to my front door'
Situated in the town of Birkerod, just north of Copenhagen, Trudeslund's 33 residences and a large common house were completed in 1981. The residences line two pedestrian streets, with the common house located at the highest point where the streets meet. With cars kept at the edge of the site and houses clustered together, much of the lower end is left wooded, making it a favourite place for the children to play.
'Many residents eat in the common house dining room three or four times a week'
'Cohousing: a Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves' by Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett (published by Ten Speed Press, PO Box 7123, Berkeley, CA 94707, USA, tel 510 845 8414; fax 510 524 1052. $19.95, 208 pages). The authors can be contacted at 1250 Addison St #113, Berkeley, CA 94702, USA (tel 510 549 9980). 'Cohousing' is trademarked to them.
Joan Bokaer, EcoVillage@Ithaca, Annabel Taylor Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA (tel 00 1 607 255 8276).
http://www.globalideasbank.org/site/bank/idea.php?ideaId=856

Ecoville, St Petersberg, Russia (e-mail:dgilman@context.org).
Contact: Diane Gilman

The Farm, Summertown, TN 38483, USA (tel 00 1 615 964 3574).
Contact: Albert Bates

The Findhorn Foundation, The Park, Findhorn, Forres, Scotland IV36 0TZ.
Contact: John Talbott

The Halifax Project, Urban Ecology Australia, PO Box 3040, Grenfell St, Adelaide, Tandanya Bioregion, SA 5000, Australia, (tel 00 61 618 232 4866).

Los Angeles Eco-Village, 3551 White House Place, Los Angeles CA 90004, USA (tel 00 1 213 738 1254). Contact: Lois Arkin
http://www.ecovillage.ithaca.ny.us/.

Un site avec beaucoup de liens
Information about sustainable architecture and natural building
http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/

Dream Green Home - Source for alternative home plans
http://www.dreamgreenhomes.com/

Alternatives to the mainstream ways of doing things.
Hartworks, Inc.,creates DVDs, books, ebooks, and websites...
http://www.hartworks.com/

Gaiam - A lifestyle company - Wind Power - Eco Tools - Hydro power Solar Electric
http://www.gaiam.com/

Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook - the Updated Bible on Renewable Energy
12th Edition (35$) by Gaiam Real Goods
http://www.gaiam.com/retail/product/21-0359

Earthfuture is provided as a free public service to Planet Earth, to encourage greater love, sustainability and hope for our future.
http://www.earthfuture.com

Some EcoVillage and CoHousing Inspirations
http://www.earthfuture.com/community/ecovillagelinks.asp

CANADA

The CoHousing Network, Canada:
http://www.cohousing.ca

Cranberry Commons, Burnaby:
http://www.cranberrycommons.ca

OUR Eco Village, Shawnigan Lake:
http://www.ourecovillage.org/home.html

Quayside Village, North Vancouver:
http://www.cohousing.ca/cohsng4/quayside

Roberts Creek Cohousing, Sunshine Coast:
http://www.cohousing.ca/robertscreek

WindSong, Langley:
http://www.cohousing.ca/cohsng4/windsong

Talking Cedars, Tofino:
http://www.earthfuture.com/talkingcedars

USA

The CoHousing Network, USA:
http://www.cohousing.org

EcoVillage at Ithaca:
http://www.ecovillage.ithaca.ny.us

Winslow Cohousing Group:
http://www.winslowcohousing.org

CoHousing Slideshow:
http://www.cohousing.org/cmty/slideshow.html

EcoVillage of Loudon County, Virginia:
http://www.ecovil.com

EcoVillage Network of the Americas:
http://ena.ecovillage.org/English/index.html

EUROPE

Global Ecovillage Network, Europe:
http://www.gen-europe.org

Torri Superiore, Italy:
http://www.torri-superiore.org

Lebensgarten Steyerberg, Germany:
http://www.lebensgarten.de

Sherwood Energy Village, UK:
http://www.sherwoodenergyvillage.co.uk

Hockerton Housing Project, UK:
http://www.hockerton.demon.co.uk

Beddington Zero Energy Development, Sutton, UK:
http://www.bedzed.org.uk

Andelssamfundet i Hjortshøj, Denmark:
http://www.ecovillage.dk

Ibsgarden Cohousing Project, Denmark:
http://www.ibsgaarden.dk

Svanholm Collective, Denmark:
http://www.svanholm.dk/kol/english

Danish Cohousing Tour:
http://www.communitarian.net/cohonet/denmark/DKtour_SA1.html

WORLDWIDE

Global EcoVillage Network:
http://www.ecovillage.org

Tlholego EcoVillage, South Africa:
http://www.sustainable-futures.com

Gaviotas, Colombia:
http://www.friendsofgaviotas.org

Crystal Waters Permaculture Village, Australia: http://www.permaculture.au.com/Crystal_Waters.html

GENERAL

The Origins of Cohousing:
http://www.cohousing.org/resources/library/history.html

What is Cohousing?
http://www.cohousing.org/resources/whatis.html

New Urbanism Tour:
http://www.cnu.org/about/index.cfm?formAction=tour&CFID=2377502&CFTOKEN=87697947

Intentional Communities:
http://communities.ic.org/

EcoVillage Living – Restoring the Earth and Her People, by Hildur Jackson & Karen Svensson (2002): http://www.chelseagreen.com/DP/GreenBooks/EcoVillage.htm and http://ena.ecovillage.org/store

Sustainable Community: Learning from the cohousing model' by Graham Meltzer PhD Published by Trafford Publishing (Canada)
ISBN 1412049946 Available online at
www.trafford.com/04-2802 for $US 22.50

The first Social Change Exchange
http://www.socialchangeexchange.org/

Seeds for Change provide training and support to grassroots campaigners, NGOs, Co-ops and other community groups and organisations in the social sector.
http://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/