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

This is an open space to share ideas and experiences.
Many blog also posted to appropriate pages throughout the website.

For more information about submitting a blog, click here

For now, happy reading!

LATEST ARTICLES

National Conference: The Next Generation and Our Children Of Cohousing

With cohousing communities taking hold in the early 1990’s, we have produced a generation of “children of cohousing.” These now-young adults benefited greatly from growing up in a cohousing community. We are looking for their stories, their experiences; how they have applied “cohousing lessons” in their 20’s and 30’s. Is there anything profoundly different about… Read More

What should a forming group ….get a good plan for NOW?”

Grace Kim responded to a query on cohousing-l to “cohousing veterans:” “What should we (a forming group) be worried about / work out in advance / get a good plan for NOW?” I’ll preface my advice with the fact that I am an architect, but also a founding member of an urban cohousing group in… Read More

What Should We Be Afraid Of?

On Cohousing-L, a member of a forming group asked a smart question: “What SHOULD we be worried about?” Philip Dowds, an architect living in Cornerstone Cohousing in Cambridge Cohousing replied:Plan on delay. Plan on surprising cost increases. Plan on flogging your way past disappointments. Your group may have to deal one or more of …internal… Read More

Why Starting with a Proposal is Usually a Bad Idea

Laird’s Blog – Why Starting with a Proposal is Usually a Bad Idea As a process consultant for cooperative groups one of the most common things I’m asked to address is why it’s such a slog to solve problems in plenary. While there are number of things that may be in play, I want to… Read More

“Cohousing” & HUD: A Love Story

“Cohousing” & HUD: A Love Story Talk about moving a mountain … are “Cohousing” and HUD falling in love? Matchmaker and Cohousing Coach, Raines Cohen, a Cohousing California regional organizer living at Berkeley Cohousing, dished out the ice cream and hot fudge Tuesday night. The assembled were celebrating the end of a petition campaign to… Read More

Cohousing Forum – San Rafael

Wolf Creek Lodge, an established senior cohousing community in Grass Valley, CA and Phoenix Commons, a cooperative lifestyle community under construction on the Oakland waterfront, will be holding a senior (50+) cohousing forum in San Rafael on Saturday, July 12th. Other sponsors include Elders Village, McCamant & Durrett Architects and Cohousing Partners. We are supported… Read More

Mistakes New Cohousing Groups Make

A list of the 6 mistakes that groups have made that contributed to their downfall or cost them significant financial loses and/or membership problems. Not a scientific study but reflects 20 years of reading Cohousing-L. 1. NOT READING COHOUSING-L. Cohousing-L will give you access to hundreds of successful cohousers who are more than willing to… Read More

So happy you’re here!

I’m so happy you’re here, on our new site. Thank you! Tell us what you think – what you love about it, what you hate about it, what you think would be great if only, what’s broken… all of that. I’m especially interested in accessibility feedback – if you’re using assistive tech to read/listen to… Read More

Neighborhood USA Conference – Cohousing was there!

Nearly 600 participants attended Neighborhood USA’s 29th annual conference May 21-25 in Eugene, Oregon, and Oakleigh Meadow, Eugene’s first cohousing neighborhood, was there with them. Oakleigh Meadow Cohousing, a 28 unit community being built right on the city’s waterfront, is scheduled to begin construction this September. Selected as a conference exhibitor, Oakleigh Meadow promoted cohousing… Read More

Something Good has Begun

I have the first verse of Cat Steven’s “Peace Train” swirling in my noggin. “Now I’ve been happy lately, thinking about the good things to come. And I believe it could be, something good has begun.” The tune is in my head because Coho/US has gotten off to an excellent start this year. In the… Read More

Home Owner Associations Pulse

HOA Pulse is website for Home Owner Associations. It has an excellent newsletter and is also a social media site for with focused discussions for topics related to homeowner association management. http://www.hoapulse.com Cohousing at 30+ years with communities aging and growing in size is facing new issues. In larger communities, relationship complexities increase geometrically. The… Read More

What does it mean to live in community?

What does it mean to “live in community” as we do in cohousing? This sounds wonderful, but the concept is hard to explain. I was struck a couple of Sundays ago, listening to my minister’s sermon (Rev Deborah Cayer, Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Durham, NC), by her exploration of this concept and the… Read More