Category: Alternatives


The Edge of Intentional

In the spectrum of intentional community, cohousing hangs out on the mainstream edge. We have our own homes. We don’t share income. Most of us have traditional mortgages as a way of accumulating wealth.  Compared with the most interdependent communities out there, most cohousing looks fairly conventional, but I wonder if we are inching along... Read More

Leaving Cohousing and Remaining Committed to Community

In the span of about 6 months, I will leave two precious cohousing communities. I ask myself how this can be as I’m more committed than ever to community living and building my life around it. It turns out, it’s complicated. Often the burning souls of community move into cohousing and stay forever. There are... Read More

WebChat #14 with Alan O’Hashi

Retrofit Cohousing Is there another way to create cohousing? Many of our wonderful cohousing communities have been built on a foundation of member investment with a great deal of support from building professionals. In this week’s WebChat, Alan O’Hashi considers a variety of paths to cohousing. 1. Stout – the most common approach requiring a... Read More

Cohouser Supports Micro-Housing in Eugene, Oregon

Oakleigh Meadow Cohousing member and Eugene architect Will Dixon has donated time and his design work to help create Emerald Village Eugene (EVE), a micro-house community for previously homeless Eugene residents. Dixon’s design is turning into one of 22 EVE homes. Each design had to meet state building code for a permanent dwelling – including... Read More

People first, things second.

Tiny Houses and shared living arrangements are currently hot topics on the COHO-US Listserv, tapping into the consistently popular themes of affordabiity and simplicity. Can these now-trendy models that trade-off square footage and private amenities for more affordable, manageable lives deliver on our high expectations? Since cohousing has already been doing precisely this for over... Read More

Converting a Trailer Park to Cohousing?

I want to buy a trailer park and convert it to a cohousing community. I will wait till you are done laughing. OK, here is the rationale behind this seemingly idiotic idea. My family joined Camelot Cohousing sort of half way through the process. We joined in 2007. Camelot got built in 2008, and we... Read More