Cohousing Now!
The Next Generation:
What is the Future for Cohousing?

The Next Generation: A note from Laura Fitch, 2015 National Conference Co-Chair

In 2014, my home community, Pioneer Valley Cohousing in Amherst Massachusetts, celebrated our 20th anniversary. A number of big changes here got me wondering - what comes next for my family, my community, and the national cohousing movement? When it came time to think about a theme for our National Conference, "the Next Generation" came to me immediately.
The first generation of cohousing has been a success! Research conducted by Coho/US in 2011 confirmed our anecdotal evidence that cohousing is good for children, parents, singles, seniors, the neighborhoods around them, and the environment. We proved the model works, though we stalled (along with the rest of the housing industry) during the recession. Groups are starting up again, but it is time to think about how to advance the movement within a new context. Demographics are changing rapidly with boomers reaching retirement and young adults less inclined or able to enter the home ownership market - all within an ominous backdrop of climate change and uncertainty.

What is in the future for cohousing? There is clearly an increasing demand for senior cohousing for the aging boomers. New cohousing communities are stretching in innovative ways to grow food, reduce energy use, include rentals and group residences, squeeze into tight urban sites, and question previously sacred governing systems. There have even been some interesting spin-offs in affordable and supportive housing projects that physically look and act like cohousing - evidence that others have learned and benefited from our pioneering work....Will the kids of cohousing build their own cohousing communities, come back to revitalize existing ones, or create something entirely new? Read more...

 

Conferences & Events

Sustaining Sponsors
 

  Cohousing Solutions National Condo Association Urban Development Partners 

Supporter Sponsors

Fellowship for Intentional Community

National Cooperative Bank

SageHill Cohousing Partners

Community Sponsors

Partnerships for Affordable Cohousing 

Self Help Credit Union 

Weinstein Friedlein Architects 

Cohousing Communities

Durham Cohousing       Elderberry Cohousing Community                 Fair Oaks EcoHousing  Hundredfold Farm   Jubilee Cohousing 

Liberty Village          Richmond Cohousing  
 

Cohousing Featured at AIA Convention 2015

Grace Kim, Schemata Workshop in Seattle, will be presenting Cohousing: A Sustainable Model for Living Independently at the AIA (American Institute of Architects) Convention in Atlanta May 15.  
 

500 Communities  Webinar on Wed February 25th

Communify San Diego Unconference March 7th

Coping with Record Snow and Cold Temps
Diana Carroll at Mosaic Commons in Central Massachusetts, where they've gotton more snow than anytime in recorded history, writes:

Well, logistically it has been quite challenging. Our snow plow company has been working absurdly hard to keep us excavated but we've pretty much run out of places to put the snow...and the cars and everything else...What strikes me this year just as in prior years when we've had snow, power outs and other weather related challenges is how awesome it is to live in cohousing.

... read more  

Patti Lautner writes: We at JPCohousing - Boston build a 'Snofa' each year. Then we build a TV, big chairs, etc. around the 'fireplace' (fire pit) and we all go out and drink hot cocoa. But this year, the snow buried our outdoor living room by at least three feet. We also have an all day Cabin Fever celebration complete with talent show each March. It's pretty fun!

 

Sparking the Conversation: Cohousing on Wisconsin NPR

Jenny Godwin, CoHousing Solutions

We've all come across the kinds of stories that are meant to be shared. An article a friend recommends or a radio program we hear on the way to work and can't stop thinking about all day. Well, cohousing has been in the story spotlight lately - and with Conference registration having recently opened, the timing couldn't be more perfect. Can Boomers Make Cohousing Mainstream? a CityLab article by Chris Bentley has made its rounds both within and outside the cohousing world in the month since its writing. With 6,700 shares and counting, it's clear the boomer-driven cohousing "boom" is at the forefront of many people's minds. read more 

 

Combining Cohousing with New Urbanism for Artists

by Emilie Parker

Louisville Artists Cohousing in Boulder County Colorado is creating a community that combines cohousing with new urbanism for artists - thus building opportunities for economic sustainability into the community for artists. As artists we struggle with having the resources, community support and inspiration we need to create. Most of the artists in our group do other things - programmer, teacher, receptionist, real estate agent, HR. The cohousing community model provides us the governing framework to share resources, live sustainably, and create more ways to incorporate arts into our lives. read more 

 

Building Community
Fair Oaks EcoHousing Updates

We at Fair Oaks EcoHousing are a family-friendly, intergenerational group of households intending to build 30 homes on 3.5 acres...We're excited about our prime site location east of Sacramento. We're an active group, with members planning to commute to work by bike via the Parkway. Our community's location on the eastern side of the valley provides easy access to the Sierra Foothills, with ample opportunities for hiking, skiing, rafting and kayaking in our free time. read more 


An Amazing Process to Build Community - Diana Sullivan
Several years ago in Nashville we started with four people who really wanted to see a cohousing community built. Our small group grew to almost thirty ...When we started looking for land there were several different groups with different preferences. Some wanted rural, others urban. Some wanted the west side of town, others the east....read more 


End Notes
Classified Ads

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Cohousing Momentum Building in Portland, OR

More Ads

Volunteer at the National Conference 

 

About Advertising with Coho/US 

Cohousing Professionals

 Caddis Architecture

 

 CoHousing Solutions

 

 Kraus Fitch Architects | Home - Community - Planet

 

McCamant & Durrett Architects: The Cohousing Co

 

 schemata workshop | architecture & planning

  

 

Announcing CoHousing Solutions: Katie McCamant has established a new consulting firm. 

 

Expanding Cohousing: The New, Old-Fashioned American Dream 

(Boston)

 

NPR Morning Edition: Europe Experiments with Cohousing  

 

Louisville Arts Village on the Horizon (Boulder CO) 

 

Wisconsin Public Radio: Will Boomers Help Cohousing Go Mainstream 

 

more news 

Resources
2015 National Cohousing Conference Flyer - for posting on your community bulletin board

Cohousing Brochure Use as a recruiting tool for members, and an education tool for the public. 

The Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014 retroactively extends numerous tax incentives for green building and energy efficiency projects. PDF summary of the incentives


New on Cohousing Directory

 

PDX Commons

An update from Portland, Oregon

 

Shepherd Village Shepherdstown West Virginia - a first in the state

Portland, Oregon

Metro Washington, DC

Denver, Colorado