This book is an inspiring exploration of Sólheimar Ecovillage in Iceland, a pioneering community that embodies sustainability, social responsibility, and inclusivity.
Cohousing expert Charles Durrett delves into the unique aspects of this ecovillage of about 100 residents, 45 of whom include those with developmental and intellectual disabilities, who live and thrive alongside neighbors in a safe and enriching environment. Through rich storytelling and detailed first-person accounts, the book highlights the importance of creating communities that celebrate and support neurodiversity. Durrett presents Sólheimar as a model for how we can build neuro-inclusive spaces that respect and uplift every individual’s potential, fostering a sense of belonging and purpose. The book offers practical insights into the design, the principles, and the practices that make Sólheimar a standout community for inclusive living. It challenges readers to rethink conventional approaches, advocating for environments where all people, regardless of their cognitive differences, can live meaningful and fulfilling lives. Durrett also presents case studies of four other neuro-inclusive communities, including Hertha Levefallesskab, WeBUILT (We Build Unique Independent Lives Together), Creative Living Community of CT, and L’Arche International Movement. With its focus on real-world solutions and its call to action, this book is both a guide and an inspiration for anyone interested in the intersection of sustainability, community living, and neuro-inclusivity.
Get your copy today at http://www.cohousingco.com/neuroinclusive-community-design
More about The Cohousing Company:
The Cohousing Company offers design and some key development consulting service from leading cohousing expert Charles Durrett to assist you in building a high-functioning cohousing community.
In 1985, Durrett coined the term cohousing to the English-speaking world (see the Oxford English Dictionary).
Since then, Charles Durrett and his team at The Cohousing Company have designed and provided key development consulting services to more than 50 cohousing communities in the United States and around the world, including Muir Commons in Davis, California, the first cohousing community in North America.
Charles imparts his wisdom and experience gleaned from over 35 years to help his clients make their project sustainable, affordable, beautiful, comfortable, energy efficient, and most importantly, socially vibrant.
The firm works closely with their clients through a unique participatory design process that allows them to build the community, not brick by brick, but decision by decision.
What makes The Cohousing Company’s communities so successful is their approach of figuring out very specifically who this group is and even more importantly, who they want to become.
We also provide: community outreach presentations, group formation and facilitation workshops, site search and feasibility analysis services, Getting-It-Built Workshops, programming and participatory design workshops, and complete schematic design to help you co-design a neighborhood that will be sustainably high-functioning.
Email us at charles.durrett@cohousingco.com to jump start your cohousing community today.
Learning Opportunities:
We offer a multitude of recurrent in-person and virtual learning opportunities including: The Architecture of Cohousing; How to Start Affordable Cohousing; and How to Address Homelessness in Your Town; which all impart the consequential knowledge for success in these areas.
Also, each year, The Cohousing Company hosts an online Study Group 1 (SG1) Facilitator Training geared towards Senior Cohousing Projects — a 10-week training designed to provide the foundation needed to facilitate your own cohousing training sessions. In our years of experience, we have found that the more trained SG1 facilitators there are in one area, the more momentum and support each has to create senior cohousing for themselves and others.
To stay up to date with the current continuing education courses taught by Charles Durrett, visit the events page of our website at http://www.cohousingco.com/events.
A 6-month paid internship:
We’ve had over 60 architecture interns (usually with an Architecture degree, but we've also had Planners and Sociologists) from: Denmark, Germany, France, Indonesia, Japan, Bangladesh, South Korea, Thailand, China, Columbia, Italy, and of course the U.S. and Canada. These young architects learn how to take cohousing back to their countries and communities.
If you or someone you know wants to learn from the most successful cohousing firm in America and to use your talent to make beautiful, well-built, environmentally, and socially relevant communities, please feel free to reach out to us via email with your resume and portfolio.
If you’re going to do cohousing, we want you to do it right. The Cohousing Company would be honored to work with you and help make your dream cohousing community come true.
To learn more about The Cohousing Company and to sign up for our newsletter, go to: https://www.cohousingco.com/
To get in touch, contact:
(e): charles.durrett@cohousingco.com
(ph): (530)265-9980
