Two Dates, One Great Seminar!

Please join us for an informative afternoon as we introduce you to three cohousing communities with fabulous properties forming in the Bay Area!

Keynote speakers include CS's Katie McCamant who will talk about where cohousing has been and where it's going, and Development Manager Danny Milman who will discuss details of what it takes to get from idea to move-in.

Additionally, Members of Washington Commons, Mission Peak Village and Berkeley Moshav will share exciting details about their projects including timelines and features.

No matter if you're new to cohousing or are ready to join a community, this event is not to be missed! Learn more on our website.

1-4 p.m. with refreshments & mingling from 4-5 p.m.

The Planned & Unplanned of a Cold Night in a Warm Common House

As observed by Katie at Nevada City Cohousing



It all started with a whopping 44 people signing up for common dinner...

Neighbors put on music which inspired a dance party - take a peek at the fun HERE!

I left before the puzzle was complete, but it was all done when I came through in the morning. 

Most of the evening was unplanned; it just evolved from dinner. I love the spontaneity of living in community!

Upcoming Events

Join Katie in Baltimore For: Boomers Do It Differently

Boomers Do It Differently: Creating Your Own 55+ Cohousing Community

Wednesday, February 28

7 p.m. ET



Stony Run Friends Meeting

5116 N Charles St.

Baltimore, MD 21210

Cohousing of Greater Baltimore invites you to a presentation from North American Cohousing expert and CS President Katie McCamant who has 35 years of experience developing cohousing. She has worked on over 50 cohousing neighborhoods, and lives in community herself. We will also introduce you to Cohousing of Greater Baltimore which is currently working to create Maryland’s first 55+ Active Adult Cohousing Community. 

This is Katie's first time presenting in Baltimore, so please join us for this in-person event!

CohoUS Hosts Andrea for Mastering Marketing Basics

Your group is ready to start marketing your cohousing community, but where do you begin? Marketing expert Andrea Budde will walk you through the basics of how to leverage social media, websites and email marketing to grow your membership. She will explain the role of the three channels, best practices for each, what types of content to utilize, and more. You’ll leave the session with actionable steps your group can start taking today.

Mastering Marketing Basics

Wednesday, March 13

5-7 p.m. MT

Via Zoom

CohoUS Members receive a discount! Not a Member yet? Join here.

The Feminist Origin of Cohousing

Did you know that cohousing has roots in feminism?

It's true and explained in Kristen R. Ghodsee's book Everyday Utopia, which both Katie and Andrea are currently reading (and recommend!)

Cohousing As Solution

The book notes that "Scandinavian feminists played a critical role in promotion of early private cohousing developments as a way for groups of families to share common chores more equitably between the genders."

One of these feminists was Dane Bodil Graae who, in a 1967 article titled "Children Should Have One Hundred Parents", argued that communal living would provide more supportive, safer and happier environments for kids. She said that children's needs are not provided for in modern society - that neighborhood design gives greater consideration to cars and parking than to children. Graae envisioned an environment where children can "go in and out of the homes around us...crawl under hedges...feel like they belong." In such a community, all the adults would look after all the children.

By 1972, she was one of a group of families that created what many consider the first cohousing community - Sættedammen in Denmark. Graae's articles (among a few others) were a big catalyst for cohousing to take off in Denmark and eventually worldwide.

Modern Cohousing

The 2022 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) American Time-Use survey found that women still do one and a half times more household and caregiving than men, but it doesn't have to be this way!

Modern cohousing relieves burdens often placed on women, including:

• Cooking & cleaning
• Childcare
• Driving elderly to appointments
• Emotional support for others

Everyday Utopia cites a 2010 study that compared women's time use among residents of cohousing communities vs. more conventional neighborhoods in the U.S. and found that "women living in cohousing spent less time on domestic chores and lived in households where their partners contributed more time to housework."

Women in cohousing spend 24% of their time at home on housework compared to 31% for women in urban developments. Additionally, 40% of cohousers living with a partner reported that their partner helps with housework at least once in the average day compared to 27% of partners living in urban developments. Enlightening figures indeed!

While this article focuses on the benefits for women living in cohousing, it's important to note that the division of labor in cohousing relieves both genders of the burden of managing a household on their own. Additionally, men in cohousing who serve as primary caregiver serve as models for other men to do the same.

Everyone - from newborns to the elderly - can benefit from the many advantages of cohousing, including a more equal division of labor!

To learn more, check out Everyday Utopia.

Save The Date for CohoUS's National Conference!

Be sure to save the date and join CoHousing Solutions and the Cohousing Association of the U.S. for the 2024 National Cohousing Conference in Denver. The biennial conference will be a space for connection, learning and growth.

We will listen deeply, share openly and reflect on the past, present and future of the cohousing movement. While grounded in our commitment to belonging, we will explore strategies to make cohousing a more equitable and diverse space.

Learn More

Let's make your dream

neighborhood a reality.

We provide development consulting services to help you create your sustainable neighborhood. Our team pioneered the development of cohousing in North America, and we have helped create dozens of successful communities.