The Dealing with Diverse Personalities retreat is coming up st the end of September – there’s still time time to sign up. It’s not for the faint of heart. Like dealing with issues of housing affordability, it’s not an easy topic to discuss since it requires people to step out of their comfort zones. Most... Read More

Liz Ryan Cole is responding to an coho-l email discussion on affordability. For those people following this thread on affordability (and don’t forget to find all the older posts that have been archived)… the issue of affordability is not limited to cohousing. For anyone considering new construction of any sort, you will do well to... Read More

Wendy is responding to an inquiry from a person in Sacramento seeking affordable cohousing options, who writes: I’ve been trying to crack this cohousing egg for many years without luck. We have many new cohousing projects either developed or in development in the Sacramento, California area, but when I ask about affordable units, I get... Read More

[Wendy is responding to an inquiry from a person in Sacramento seeking affordable cohousing options, who writes: I’ve been trying to crack this cohousing egg for many years without luck. We have many new cohousing projects either developed or in development in the Sacramento, California area, but when I ask about affordable units, I get... Read More

These comments are in response to a coho-l inquiry: Wherever US/CA cohousing exists or is built, does it in fact sell *below* market rate relative to comparable residences within the surrounding community? Liz responds: Because home prices are compared based on similar homes and cost per square foot, I can’t think of anything that would... Read More

I am often asked about “affordable housing”. People want “affordable cohousing”. I want to share with you what this is all about and why I believe this country lacks “affordable cohousing”. I also want to tell you about a good book by Andrew Heben “Tent City Urbanism (From self-organized Camps to Tiny House Villages)” which... Read More

What are some ways to encourage people to create low-income cohousing?, Suggestions: 1. Define “low income.” “Affordable” is not a euphemism for “low income.” Affordable is usually defined as 80% of the average cost of a similar housing unit in the area. That could be in the millions and still be called “affordable.” HUD’s definitions... 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

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