Elements that emphasize the social aspects of community are of highest priority. Without these elements a cohousing community will be little more than a traditional residential development. In fact, the success of a cohousing community depends upon the “common” realm — the places where residents come together for socializing, creating, or just saying hello. These... Read More

Cohousers don’t only talk the green talk, they walk the green walk. Yet the sustainable lifestyle inherent in intentional neighborhoods is not always outwardly apparent to the greater community (minus solar panels on rooftops or street-facing gardens). It’s a goal of many forming communities to demonstrate these built-in savings, embodied in greener-built homes, on-site activities... Read More

Instead of assisted living, or managing a large home without help, cohousing creates a small neighborhood of independent individuals who all do what they are able in order to maintain a mutually beneficial and enjoyable community….Successful and dignified aging for most seniors means maintaining control over their own lives and not feeling burdensome to their... Read More

Lifespan Home Modifications was founded 15 years ago in the state with the fastest aging population per capita and no retirement communities: Alaska. Like the rest of the country, residents assumed they would retire and remain in the same home and community where they raised their families. But as the stark realities of Aging in... Read More

A new neighborhood to cultivate life! Aria Denver is moving ahead with the renovation of a signature building on the former Marycrest Convent property to create Aria Cohousing Community. The former convent building will become 28 condominium units (of which 8 are affordable under the city of Denver’s program) consisting of one, two and three... Read More

Jim Leach, with Wonderland Hill Development Company in Boulder, is a nationally recognized leader in the design and development of innovative and sustainable neighborhoods, and was an early and significant developer of cohousing and senior cohousing. His five-decade career has been driven by the belief that “community is the secret ingredient in sustainability.” Jim spoke... Read More

Vermont is a state of small towns, and among them, the village of Bristol is unique. It is the commercial hub of five rural townships, featuring an old-fashioned Main Street lined with shops and restaurants. A turn-of-the-century Town Hall rises in the center of the village, one part municipal office, one part cultural center. Across... Read More

[Learn more about Capitol Hill Urban Cohousing at the Aging Better Together Conference, where founder Grace Kim will present Planning Early for the Golden Years: Starting an Intergenerational Community] Last week, Guy Thomsen and I did a walk-through of Capitol Hill Urban Cohousing (CHUC). Some quick background–this is a mixed use building with ground level... Read More