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What Is Cohousing
- 1. COHOUSING NEIGHBORHOODS with PURPOSE Cohousing Collaborative, LLC www.cohousingcollaborative.com
- 2. A PURPOSEFUL LIFE Real neighborhoods where people know and care about one another
- 3. A PURPOSEFUL LIFE Good vibrations One is a professional, one is an accomplished vocalist, one can’t carry a tune to save their lives… celebrating diversity by collaborating in joyous harmony
- 4. A PURPOSEFUL LIFE Blueberry Hill • Vienna, VA Eastern Village • Silver Spring, MD EcoVillage • Ithaca, NY
- 5. A PURPOSEFUL LIFE A BALANCE of private places A typical residence A common house and social spaces
- 6. A PURPOSEFUL LIFE Purposeful disconnect from the car enables safe & secure spaces for spontaneous socializing and play
- 7. SUSTAINABILITY ECONOMICS ENVIRONMENT SOCIAL/CULTURAL + = Sustainability
- 8. SUSTAINABILITY It takes a community to build one
- 9. STEWARDSHIP Design Charrette Interactive Workshops with Our Design Consultants Governance Meeting Cohousing Timeline Game™ Workshop Non-Hierarchal, Informed Consensus Decision-Making Organizing & Planning Our Journey
- 10. STEWARDSHIP Living Green Roofs Passive Solar, Geothermal, Smart Growth Wind Transit-Oriented Preserving and conserving Energy Low Impact agricultural lands and farming traditions Development
- 11. ECONOMY A safe place where children, whether residents or visitors, can grow social capital too!
- 12. ECONOMY Groceries for Community Dinner = $3/ person Whipped Cream for Spontaneous “Sharing” of Pie = $4 Compassionate care for each other -PRICELESS!
- 13. ECONOMY Goods and services
- 14. ECONOMY Geothermal Heating & Cooling Systems Living Green Roofs & Water Community Woodworking Shop Conservation Systems Community Fitness Room Upfront investment • Long-range returns
- 15. ECONOMY The neighborhood mower Sharing Resources Before there were Zip Cars... there was Community Recycling & Composting Community garden & play area the “Real Teal”
- 16. SOCIAL / CULTURAL Creating and sharing traditions, interests, experiences… …living life as YOU want to
- 17. LIVING WELL Celebrating Spontaneous Merriment milestones Community Outreach
- 18. LIVING WITH PURPOSE Exercise Wisdom
- 19. NEXT STEPS Sign up to get the latest news & articles at Let’s get together! Cohousing Collaborative’s Social Website www.cohousingworks.com Cohousing Collaborative, LLC www.cohousingcollaborative.com Senior Cohousing by Charles Durrett National Conference • Washington, DC • June 16-19 http://conference.cohousing.org/
Editor's Notes
- The first question that comes to mind is usually - well, what IS cohousing? There several ways to answer this question, but this is how we think of it.\n
- First and foremost, cohousing is about PEOPLE - people who have made a conscious decision to live a life of purpose, to be good neighbors, to be good stewards, to be proactively involved in their community. \n
- People who choose cohousing come from all walks of life. Each cohousing neighborhood reflects the values and will of the people who live there. They may be intergenerational, may be age-focused, or both. \n
- Physically, cohousing may be urban, suburban, or rural. They range from as small as 6 to as many as 40 or more homes. The homes may be single-family, townhomes, condos, and may even include work/live units.\n
- Homes are privately owned and fully equipped (kitchens, baths, bedrooms, living room, etc); and oriented to a rich array common amenities such as a spacious Common House, and both active and quiet open spaces\n
- To maximize opportunities for safe, pedestrian social spaces, the car is NOT a member of the family. [Pause…]\n
- Cohousing by nature, is a model of sustainability because these neighborhoods are built to balance economics,environmental concerns AND social capital over time- the three aspects that define sustainability.\n
- Cohousers make the conscious effort to be good neighbors, to be good stewards, to be proactive and LIVE PURPOSEFULLY. Because of this committment, their communities have the resilience and capability to adapt with the inevitable changes and challenges over time.\n
- A common thread in cohousing projects is that its residents have significant input in the development process, what their neighborhood will look like, and how it will be managed.\n
- Cohousers are very conscious about their relationship with the environment, about conserving natural AND economic resources, about living lightly on the land, about “building green”, about being part of the solution. \n
- People who choose to build a sustainable neighborhood recognize the economic benefits of cohousing. When there is a strong base of social capital, there is reduced risk to all concerned - something that lenders and investors particularly like! : )\n
- While there is subsidized cohousing in the U.S., most cohousing neighborhoods are “market rate” - so if comparable homes in the area are $100k, then a home in cohousing will cost about the same. Cohousing, however, has tangible and intangible VALUE beyond that of conventional housing. \n
- The economy of scale enables a cohousing community of, say 20-40 homes, to get more “bang for the buck” through bulk purchasing everything from lumber to light bulbs... or hiring services...\n
- …Or afford significant investments in energy-saving systems or amenities that may not be cost-effective for an individual homeowner. [Pause…]\n
- There is no “shared economy” in cohousing, however there are the economic benefits of “shared resources” --- one really great lawnmower rather than 30 or 40 lawnmowers. Or the precursor to the “zip car” --- “the real teal truck” which anyone in the neighborhood can borrow for $5 contribution to the community kitty and gas.\n
- In cohousing you are empowered to make choices...\nYou can choose to have a quiet moment with a good book in your own home... or you step out your door and enjoy activities with your neighbors... your friends, and your community at large\n
- Cohousing is a tried and true quality of life that many of our ‘boomer generation may recall from their youth when there was a deeper sense of community. By every measure possible, studies have proven that people who live purposefully live longer and happier, more fulfilled lives.\n
- The decision is yours... is cohousing for you?\nDuring the next ___ minutes, you will have an opportunity to ask questions of experienced cohousers and explore through discussion with others here.\n\n
- For those who wish to learn more about cohousing after this session - there is an abundance of information available from the internet, the public library, and bookstores. A few of those resources are listed here and on handouts. (The National Cohousing Conference and International Summit will be in Seattle June 24-28)\n