Water Conservation in Cohousing
It’s safe to say that water is on the minds of most Californians. With our state facing a historic four-year drought, the effects ripple far beyond our own cities, dinner plates and favorite swimming holes. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the consequences. Earlier this week, Governor Jerry Brown issued California’s first-ever mandatory water restrictions,… Read More
You Take Care of Mom, but Who Will Take Care of You?
Grace Kim has written a great article that profiles how cohousing offers a good alternative to assisted living, or to continuing care facilities. This was published in Blueprints for Senior Living – an online journal for the Design For Aging committee of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) http://www.aia.org/akr/Resources/Documents/AIAB105853 Grace will be presenting “Cohousing: A… Read More
In our quest to expand cohousing, Coho/US has long recognized two major challenges: (1) accessing financing and (2) creating more affordable models. This month, Coho/US made headway in addressing both, establishing a formal collaboration with Partnerships for Affordable Cohousing. Pooling our reach, credibility and knowledge will bolster our mutual efforts to develop and promote strategies… Read More
Amazing Intensives at the National Cohousing Conference
In addition to a full range of sessions at the National Cohousing Conference, we are offering 1/2 day and full day “intensives” on specialized topics presented by cohousing experts. You can sign up for these separately, or in addition to registration. Visit www.www.cohousing.org/2015conference or download the program at www.www.cohousing.org/2015/program Consider these awesome offerings from our… Read More
Creating More Affordability in Your Community: A Selection of Ideas
You’re probably tired of hearing about smaller units, standardization, simple unit plans, modest finishes, all with the goal of achieving more affordability. Well it’s true, these all help, but there are other affordability strategies that are based on interpersonal relationships, community, and trust, that can be just as effective, if not more so. The strategies… Read More
Why DC Residents are Moving to Cohousing Communities
Yesterday, a piece about senior cohousing in the DC area appeared online in Washingtonian Magazine’s March 2015 issue. The article features Ann Zabaldo, a cohousing developer and Takoma Village resident. Eastern Village Cohousing is also given mention, as is Chuck Durrett of McCamant & Durrett Architects/The Cohousing Company, who predicts that “as baby boomers and… Read More
Join Me at the Conference
I am new to cohousing, or at least to the use of the term applied to a concept that has made a lot of sense to me ever since I first encountered it. That was many years ago when I read in an architecture magazine about some innovative and exceedingly sensible residential projects being built… Read More
Urban Cohousing – Best Positioned to Meet our Aspirations?
Last month, my Durham Coho hosted a visit by graduate students enrolled in an Urban Cohousing Design Studio at NC State College of Design. Tom Barrie, a Professor of Architecture and Director of the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Initiative, was inspired by the National Cohousing Conference, and offered to provide this design studio, and… Read More
I recently gave a tour of FrogSong, my cohousing community, to a group of local university students. During my talk I shared this story about the power of consensus decision-making. Even though this event happened fifteen years ago, I still choke up in the telling. Quick background: Consensus, as we practice it, draws heavily on… Read More
Creating Traditions
I’m excited for the conference! When I’m not being the lead techie for the association, I pay a lot of attention to singing, celebrations, and traditions. On Thursday night of the conference I’ll be talking about singing in community, and singing with as many of you as will join me. On Saturday morning, I’ll be… Read More
Who’s Coming to the National Conference?
We’re smiling at the numbers so far: 223 folks have registered for the National Cohousing Conference. That’s more than expected at this time. Our aspirational goal is 400; we conservatively budgeted for 325. So we are in good shape! Where are folks coming from? Registrations have poured from all over the country – 31 states… Read More
The Future of Cohousing: The Next Generation
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 conference, “the next generation” came to… Read More
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