Cohousing Now!
"The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"
After years of planning, meeting, and decision-making, requiring immense patience and work, my Durham Cohousing has opened. And wow! Everything is better than expected - the community, the space, the reality of it all. As a few of us walked from our downtown building to the farmers market, and later enjoyed a promptu potluck, I realized I was living my dream! Cohousing is wonderful. But as our Regional Cohousing Conference theme "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" suggests, after the doors open, real life kicks in with real life issues, and real life conflicts and their resolution. Please join us in Boulder for great conversations and ideas. Save the date also for the National Cohousing Conference. A major benefit of Coho/US is the hosting of conferences. Here is your opportunity to learn, network and to be in community with other cohousers. Each of you can contribute to our growing knowledge of how to create more socially, economically and environmentally sustainable communities. And each of you deserves to celebrate together the growth of our movement. 
                                                                                                                    
Alice Alexander, Executive Director
Regional Cohousing Conference - Boulder CO
Sept 26-28, 2014   

This conference brings together a diverse program that will help you understand "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" of living in community and provide you and your neighbors with tools to work within your unique community environment. The weekend will be packed with useful information with plenty of time to network.

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National Cohousing Conference: Co-Chairs Endorsed
Laura Fitch and Doug Henderson-James are a great pairing as Co-Chairs of the National Cohousing Conference (May 2015). Laura, a principal with Kraus Fitch Architects, crafted our "next generation theme." Doug is founder and project manager of Durham Central Park Cohousing, providing local leadership and urban self-development experience. read more
Aging Successfully 2014: October 6-10, Nevada City

To learn more about the aging in cohousing workshop...read more

How Many Cohousing Communities are Out There?

Stats from the Cohousing Directory posted on coho-l by Fred Olson

 

Completed: 111
Building 22
Own or Optioned Site 27
Seeking Site 12
Forming 38
Retrofitting 11
Total active: 221 in 36 states

The Cohousing Directory is only as good as the information you provide. Is your community up to date? follow these instructions.

Leadership for Meal Programs Increases Meals  

by Sharon Villines

Action without a leader is like herding cats. It works with two and maybe three cats. Otherwise forget it -- unless you have a lot of smelly cat food available for rewards. Cohousing doesn't run on cat food.  read more 

Architectural Review Policies by Sharon Villines

Architectural review policies are generally hard to write, partly because we have very different housing experiences when we move into cohousing and partly because we have never had the experience of living in a place where people have been so diverse with so many ideas about what is desirable. ..... read more

 

In principle, the more information we have about something the better decision we are likely to make. We are likely to have the most information at the last minute. Deciding more than we really need to at any given moment can cause regrets later.

Practical Tip: Before you start making decisions, think about the order of decisions. What needs to get decided first? What next? What can wait? Break decisions up into pieces if possible, and if there is anything to be gained by waiting to decide a piece (like more people getting more information), wait. Establish a date certain for deciding each piece. The last minute, although potentially stressful, is often the optimum time for good group decisions. "I love the last minute," I once heard someone say. "If it weren't for the last minute a lot of stuff wouldn't get done."


 

End Notes
Call for National Conference Presenters
Nat'l Cohousing Conference - Durham, May 29-31, 2015

 

Are People Happier Living in Community? The FIC is teaming up with researchers to try to answer this question by going straight to the source: asking people living in intentional communities what they think. Interested communities should contact Ian MacDonald who will provide a link to an anonymous online survey.

 

Coho/US welcomes new Board of Director members

Peter Lazar is a resident of Shadowlake Village Cohousing in Blacksburg, and a founder of Sheeflee Cohousing in Charlottesville. An award-winning technology entrepreneur, Peter has been involved in the Web since its inception. Diana Sullivan is a founder of Germantown Commons/New American Villages in Nashville, which she formed after returning from the 2010 Cohousing Conference. A commercial real estate broker, with non-profit leadership experience, Diana wants to create more cohousing in Tennessee and expand cohousing nationally. read more


 
One reason to support Coho/US is you appreciate Coho/US as a connector to resources and conferences. Please Donate Now!

 

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Cohousing Now! provides timely information on Cohousing... Now! From Coho/US, the Cohousing Association of the United States, Cohousing Now! is emailed monthly. Please forward to your friends, communities, and other mailing lists to help spread the word about cohousing - now! 
 
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