@Home - Exploring Cohousing
A Global Movement for Community Living
When we think about housing, images of traditional homes or apartment complexes often come to mind. But what if there was another way to live, one that fostered community, cooperation, and shared values? Enter cohousing: a unique, intentional living arrangement that began in Denmark and has since spread worldwide.
The Roots of Cohousing
Cohousing, known in Danish as bofællesskab, originated in Denmark, where the first community was established near Copenhagen in 1972. The groundbreaking project was designed for 27 families, who wanted to live in a more connected and cooperative environment. Today, about 1% of the Danish population—roughly 50,000 people—live in cohousing communities, enjoying the benefits of shared spaces and collective decision-making.
Cohousing in the United Kingdom
The UK Cohousing Network, established after the UK's first Cohousing Conference in Lancaster in 2007, plays a vital role in promoting the cohousing model as a means of creating supportive, connected communities. As a membership organization, its mission is to empower communities to adopt cohousing principles, reducing isolation and loneliness, and cutting living costs by sharing facilities and services. The growing interest in cohousing throughout the UK reflects a desire for more meaningful connections and sustainable living arrangements. The UK Cohousing Network is at the forefront of this movement, helping communities create vibrant, supportive places to live. By bringing people together, cohousing offers a balanced way of life, blending privacy with community spirit.
Cohousing Across Europe
Denmark isn't the only country in Europe embracing this innovative living model. Sweden has a rich tradition of cohousing, heavily influenced by the feminist movement. Advocates have promoted cohousing as a means to distribute chores more equally between genders, fostering equality and cooperation. In Sweden, many cohousing projects are state-owned, developed as part of the country’s active welfare state, though there are also privately owned communities. The organization Kollektivhus Nu (“Cohousing Now”) has been instrumental in spreading the idea throughout Sweden.
In the Netherlands, cohousing—locally known as “Centraal Wonen”—took root in the mid-1970s. Dutch cohousing often features large communities organized into smaller clusters of 5 to 10 units. Each cluster has its own facilities and can choose its members, yet all share a larger communal building for social events. Impressively, there are over 300 senior cohousing communities, called “Groepswonen van Ouderen,” across the Netherlands.
Germany has also embraced cohousing, especially in Berlin, which boasts over 150 projects. The German model often revolves around baugruppen—a way for groups to collectively purchase land and develop housing—making Berlin a global hub for cohousing.
Cohousing is steadily gaining popularity in France, Spain, Belgium, and Italy. In Italy, two main types of cohousing organizations have emerged: Cohousing Venture, a private consultancy, and non-profits like CoHabitando and CoAbitare, both of which advocate for and facilitate cohousing projects.
Crossing the Atlantic: Cohousing in North America
The Danish concept of bofællesskab was introduced to North America as "cohousing" by American architects Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett. Since the first U.S. cohousing community, Muir Commons in Davis, California, was completed 25 years ago, more than 160 communities have been established across 25 states, with another 125 in development. The Cohousing Association of the US serves as the central resource for these communities, fostering their growth and development.
Cohousing is also making strides in Canada, where 17 communities have been completed and around 42 are in various stages of formation or construction. The Canadian Cohousing Network supports these initiatives, emphasizing the benefits of shared living.
Global Expansion: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Beyond
Cohousing isn’t confined to Europe and North America. It’s gaining traction in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, each country adapting the model to its cultural and societal needs. These communities share common principles: private homes clustered around shared spaces, promoting cooperation, sustainability, and rich social interactions.
How Cohousing Works
At its core, cohousing is an intentional, self-governing community where residents live in private homes but share common areas like kitchens, dining rooms, and gardens. This setup encourages social interaction, mutual support, and a sense of belonging. Cohousing communities often organize shared meals, social events, and community workdays to foster collaboration and camaraderie.
The legal structure of cohousing typically resembles a homeowner association or housing cooperative, though some use community land trusts. Decision-making is often consensus-based, empowering residents to work together for the common good.
The Benefits of Cohousing
Cohousing offers numerous benefits, both social and practical. It fosters strong community bonds, reduces loneliness, and provides a supportive environment for all ages. Many communities emphasize sustainability, with shared resources and facilities that reduce individual consumption and promote environmental stewardship.
Living in cohousing also encourages civic engagement and active participation in broader community affairs, as residents learn to collaborate and make decisions democratically within their community.
A Growing Movement
As people worldwide seek more meaningful connections and sustainable lifestyles, cohousing is poised for continued growth. This innovative model offers a compelling alternative to traditional housing, one that prioritizes community, cooperation, and a shared vision for a better way of living.
Whether you're seeking a vibrant multi-generational community or a supportive environment for senior living, cohousing provides a flexible, adaptable solution that meets diverse needs. With its roots in Denmark and branches spreading across the globe, cohousing is more than just a housing model—it's a movement towards a more connected, caring world.
Cohousing brings people together in ways that foster deep connections, shared experiences, and a supportive environment. It's about creating a home that's not just about four walls, but about the community and relationships we build within it. Whether you're exploring this lifestyle for the first time or already an enthusiast, cohousing offers a promising and heartwarming path to a more connected way of living.
Case Study
New Ground Cohousing, United Kingdom
An Innovative Model for Urban Living
New Ground Cohousing development is located in High Barnet, a lovely village to the north of London in England. It serves as an inspiring model for how we might live as we age within urban environments. The village has a fascinating history dating back beyond the 13th century. There’s a quaint village green, a church, and a high street peppered with cafes, old-world pubs, charity shops, and bakeries. The busses ply a regular route to London and beyond, and there’s an underground just 10 minutes troll from the main shopping strip. This all provides the perfect setting for such an innovative project, where few residents have need for a vehicle, yet their desire to remain active and engaged with the surrounding community remains strong.
Jude Tisdall, New Ground
New Girls on the Block
Being the UK’s first completed senior cohousing project, New Ground was an 11-year labor of love that was brought into existence by a handful of determined women who referred to themselves the Older Women’s Co-Housing (OWCH) group.
Three essential ingredients were required to make their dream come true:
a willingness on the part of local or regional government to assist with approving a cohousing site for older women.
a partnership with a developer or housing association, willing to forward fund construction.
access to professional services with a passion for developing innovative housing solutions that would be sustainable and user-friendly in their design.
It wasn’t easy and those of fainter heart would have given up long before the 11 years the project took to completion. Eventually, the women found kindred spirits in architect Pollard Thomas Edwards (PTE), contractor Quinn, co-partner Housing for Women, developer Hanover Housing Association, and funder the Tudor Trust.
Today, the development consists of 25 apartments that are 1, 2, and 3 bedrooms in size. Seventeen are owner-occupied, while eight are rented to women who did not have the means to purchase a home, offering long-term stable and affordable housing that is managed by a small Housing Association called ‘Housing for Women’.
They share facilities such as a large green courtyard with gazebo; beneath which is a tank that collects rain that seeps through the clover. This is then used to water extensive gardens brimming with fragrant blooms, fruit trees and vegetables. Each apartment has a courtyard or balcony and some have access to a rooftop seating area. There’s an indoor recreational area that doubles as dining room and Yoga space, as well as a shared kitchen, guest suite, and laundry.
Integration into the Urban Fabric
Despite its unique purpose, New Ground subtly integrates into its surroundings. The development’s design, with its tumbled brickwork and rhythmic facade, blends into the terraced street while signaling a distinct communal approach with its single shared front door. Upon entering, visitors are welcomed into a cohouse, a central feature that stretches out into a fully glazed back wall opening onto the shared garden. This spatial arrangement transforms the initial impression of individual plots into a cohesive community space.
Residents like Jude Tisdall have been living her for eight years now and only one apartment has been on-sold in that time, with a lengthy waiting list of hopefuls vying to join the close-knit community. The women are aged between 50 and 89, and they come from diverse backgrounds. They infused the building with warmth and vibrancy, reflecting their varied reasons for choosing to sell their family homes and age well together.
Some sought companionship after becoming widows or divorcing, while others were drawn to the idea of communal living as their children left home. The result is a life where there is always a friend to chat to our go out with, and a dozen willing hands when feeling under the weather.
Cohousing Principles in Practice
New Ground embodies the principles of cohousing through its spatial organization. The development features a mix of two and three-story buildings with varying roof pitches, creating a complex web of apartments. The apartments and shared facilities are strategically dispersed to encourage interaction, such as weekly shared meals and gardening together.
Inside, both bedroom and bathroom sizes are generous, as is the kitchen, which flows into a living area overlooking the garden, yet afforded privacy by rose bushes and small shrubs. As the women had a hand in the design, there are lovely features such as wooden slat shutters on French doors, wide hallways, and - most importantly - ample storage space.
Community Engagement and Design
The architects from PTE collaborated closely with the women, navigating the challenges of a multifaceted client base through structured workshops and consensus-based decision-making. This approach allowed for a design that balances communal needs with personal expression, wheelchair accessibility, good use of natural light, and plenty of opportunity to retreat to the privacy of one’s own home, or engage with good neighbors.
New Ground's architecture promotes interaction with the surrounding community, resisting the trend of inward-looking, exclusive cohousing developments. The design incorporates large street-facing windows and the communal kitchen overlooks the street, enhancing the connection between residents and their surrounds.
A Model for Future Urban Living
New Ground offers a compelling vision for urban living, particularly for older individuals seeking connection and community. While the development's success is due to the exceptional dedication of the women and Hanover Housing Association's support, it highlights the potential for similar projects.
There is an urgent need for government and local councils to support such initiatives, potentially through low-interest loans or safeguarding plots for cohousing. As cities face increasing challenges related to isolation and community disengagement, cohousing provides an opportunity for meaningful experimentation and sustainable urban living. Their model addresses aging in place, while embracing a vibrant urban lifestyle, and has earned them accolades and a place in modern urban planning history.
Worth Reading
Practical Guide to Cohousing
By: Angela Vincent, Owen Jarvis (2022)
If you’ve ever dreamed of creating a cohousing community then you’ve probably wished that there was some kind of guide book. Well – at last your prayers have been answered! This very practical guide will help you understand the crucial stages that you need to go through in order to bring your dreams into reality. Five sections oversee a project’s phases of development:
Group – establishing a project and its vision
Site – seeking a suitable site or property
Plan – formal approvals and partnerships
Build – construction and on-site works
Live – a new life in a shared neighborhood
Plus supplementary pages on Design and Finance, and details of resources to use and examples to consider.
Creating Cohousing: Building Sustainable Communities
By: Charles Durrett, Kathryn McCamant (2011)
This is an in-depth exploration of a uniquely rewarding type of housing which is perfect for anyone who values their independence but longs for more connection with those around them. Written by the award-winning team that wrote the original "cohousing bible" and first brought cohousing to North America, this fully-illustrated manual combines nuts-and-bolts practical considerations and design ideas with extensive case studies of dozens of diverse communities in Europe and North America.
Whether urban, suburban or rural; senior or intergenerational; retrofit or new, the authors show how the physical structures of cohousing communities lend themselves to a more efficient use of resources.
Creating Cohousing puts the "neighbor" back into "neighborhood"; and is an essential resource for anyone interested in more environmentally and socially sustainable living.
State-Of-The-Art Cohousing: Lessons Learned from Quimper Village
By: Alexandria Levitt, Charles Durrett (2020)
Quimper Village is one of the most exciting senior communities in the U.S.A. It was started, co-designed, co-developed and largely financed by the future residents; a factor that ensured it was purpose-built as a forever home.
State-of-the-Art Cohousing: Lessons Learned tells of their extraordinary journey: how they prepared; how they launched; the voyage itself; how they landed; and now how they settled.
The book tells how they built great relationships with each other to meet their goals, and how those relationships are key to surviving challenging times, such as the pandemic.
The residents of Quimper Village have created something very special - a neighborhood where people truly help each other in good times and tough ones too.
