I The Cohousing Association welcomes blog posts from anyone in the cohousing movement

Careful agenda-setting is an essential element in preparing for a good meeting, and often an area where a little effort can make big improvements in meetings and community relationships. Agenda creation includes two distinct parts: 1.       Choosing the topics to be discussed. 2.       Determining how those topics will be… Read More

Robert “Han” Bishop is a resident of Heartwood Cohousing in Bayfield Colorado. Heartwood is a rural community with a large property and many self-sustaining practices. In this interview, Han describes his experience living there, how he and his wife came to move there and something of the cycles of life they are experiencing. https://vimeo.com/378639869?fbclid=IwAR3CCXooc_D_skL4j-TkbUjdfFbRGbyIn4luc9XDuU03Ud4yQftJnO4PuY8

Karen’s recent WebChat challenged us to see personal growth as one of the most important reasons for cohousing. She explained how cohousing, in part through conflict, provides an ideal environment for becoming better humans. In particular it is a space in which we grow the skills for collaboration which are so needed in our society… Read More

It was great to see many of you at our Annual meeting on December 2, 2019. It’s lovely to come together one night a year and share with all cohousers what our association is doing to bring more and better cohousing to the US. We’d like to say a big thank our Association Supporters. Their… Read More

Creating a cohousing community is, for many founders, the most complex process they will ever undertake. In her recent WebChat, Katie McCamant gives an overview of that process phase by phase. Katie begins with gathering your group and takes us step by step through move-in day. She points out the places where professional help is… Read More

When people learn I’m moving into cohousing, they often ask, “How can you leave your home? It’s so lovely and has so much character. And, you’ve made so many memories here.”  Yes, it’s true. I love my nearly 90 year old house in Florence Park, a mid-town neighborhood in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I’ve lived in it… Read More

98% of cohousers are lovely, well intentioned people we can all get along with, says Diana Leafe Christian in her recent WebChat. But what about the other 2%? What about people who are consistently difficult, who seem to lack a capacity for empathy and care only about themselves. How does community work with them and… Read More

We thank Laura Fitch of Fitch Architecture and Community Design for sharing this slideshow with us. Click here to access.

We wrapped up our first year of WebChats where we began, in Pioneer Valley Cohousing. Our first WebChat was one year ago in October of 2018. Jerry Koch-Gonzalez shared with us from his home office. Last week was even more fun because I got to sit with Mary Kraus in person as we finished the… Read More

Last month Sky Blue, Executive Director of the Foundation for Intentional Community, and Avi Kruley, Community Wellbeing Facilitator at the Mount Madonna Center, joined us for a WebChat looking at what makes an intentional community an intentional community. They explored the 5 R’s: Residence, Rationale, Responsibilities, Resources and Respect. From there they guided us through… Read More

One of the questions our community support team helps to discern is whether an issue is a community issue or a personal issue. While in many cases this is a straightforward, sometimes extra investigating will reveal which type of a challenge we are facing. When Ricardo always parks in the handicap space, without a handicap… Read More

Sharing the journey from Atlanta, GA to Anacortes, WA, engaging with community along the way.   Part 7 of 7 Arrival Arriving in my new home, surrounded by beauty, but not living in cohousing, I have much to ponder. The big question is this: Is it possible to live a community life without (for now) living… Read More