Facts about Cohousing
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Started 40+ years ago in Denmark and the Netherlands.
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More than 200 completed cohousing communities exist in Canada & the USA with hundreds more in planning or development stages.
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Within cohousing communities, only 20% of the population is comprised of “traditional families” (mom, dad, kids), so housing needs are continually changing.
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Ottawa Cohousing is the first cohousing specific development business to exclusively serve Eastern Ontario.
“In Denmark, people frustrated by the available housing options developed cohousing: a housing type that redefined the concept of neighbourhood to fit contemporary lifestyles. Tired of the isolation and the impracticalities of traditional single-family houses and apartment units, they built housing that combines the autonomy of private dwellings with the advantages of community living.”
~ Charles Durrett, "The Senior Cohousing Handbook: A Community Approach to Independent Living"
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Cohousing is an increasingly desirable housing strategy for aging adults. Seen as a viable way to independently Age in Place that also allows for a lively and supportive social life.
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For young families, a secure community allows for in house child care and assistance from caring and knowledgable neighbours.
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The big draw for singles, are the multiple opportunities for low stress social encounters.
STORIES ABOUT COHOUSING and other Intentional Communities
Case Study on Quayside Village, lessons learned developing one of the first Urban Cohousing communities in Canada. .
"Housing has to meet demands in the market, the three major components of Sustainability: social, economic, and environment, are never all met simultaneously."
- Ellen Enns | Ronaye Matthew
May 2022, article in Globe and Mail featuring Little Mountain Cohousing as an example of how multigenerational living can make a come back, in a cohousing adjusted format.
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"Seniors, fearful of long-term care homes and COVID-19, seek new ways to live together" - Zosia Bielski
“You either love or you hate cohousing.”
- Jan Chadwick, resident of Marmalade Lane, 42-house intergenerational cohouse in Cambridge, England.
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"It's just lonely being by yourself all the time, and it just seems like a much richer way to live is in community sharing experiences and support and chores."
- Frances Woolison · Prairie Rivers Co-living Co-operative, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Jan 03, 2022
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Study of the unusually healthy aspects of a seemingly average blue collar town in Pennsylvania, where the collective community spirit is what made the difference.
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“The magic of Roseto was the total avoidance of isolated individuals crushed by problems of everyday life. Rosetans didn't feel isolated or crushed, rather they avoided the internalization of stress. Stability and predictability was life soothing, hence life lengthening.”
- Dr. Rock Positano, Huffpost article The Mystery of the Rosetan People, November 2011
Resources
For up to date information on existing and currently forming cohouses across Canada
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US based organization, excellent source of learning and skill development resources for successful community
Foundation for Intentional Community​
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Sociocracy Practica, for those looking to explore this form of consent based community organization
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Creating Cohousing: Building Sustainable Communities by Charles Durrett and Kathryn McCamant
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Senior Cohousing: A Community Approach to Independent Living. (The Handbook, second edition)
by Charles Durrett
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https://www.radicalresthomes.com/
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Aging in Place (Canada Mortage and Housing Corporation)
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https://www.cnn.com/style/article/cohousing-helen-hard-venice-biennale/index.html
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