Cohousing Resources

Cohousing is a self-managed intentional community of private homes clustered around shared space

Each attached or single family home has traditional amenities, including a private kitchen. Shared spaces typically feature a Common House, which may include a large kitchen and dining area, laundry, and recreational spaces. Shared outdoor space may include parking, walkways, open space and gardens. Neighbors also share resources like tools, workshops and storage.

Households have independent incomes and private lives, but neighbors collaboratively plan and manage community activities and shared spaces. The legal structure is typically a homeowner association (HOA) or housing cooperative. Community activities feature regularly-scheduled shared meals, meetings and workdays. Neighbors gather for parties, games, movies or other events. Cohousing makes it easy to socialize, organize child care and carpool.

Cohousing facilitates interaction among neighbors and thereby provides social, practical, economic and environmental benefits.

Cohousing resources

The Cohousing Association of the United States

Visit Cohousing.org. Check out forming and existing cohousing communities state by state in the Directory.

Subscribe to the Cohousing Listserv

Cohousing-L is a discussion about all aspects of cohousing—development and joys and challenges of living in cohousing. Cohousing-L is independent of, but cooperates with The Cohousing Association of the United States. Cohousing-L has about 800 active subscribers and distributes an average of about 150 messages per month. It is conducted by email—a “mailing list” or “listserv.”

View the TED talk by our architect, Grace Kim