Participatory Process
Resident participate in the planning and design of the development
of the community so that it directly responds to their needs. (Developer
initiated/driven projects are in no way a threat to this. In most
cases, developer initiation may actually make it easier for more
people to participate in the process. On the other hand, a well-designed,
pedestrian-oriented community with no resident involvement in the
planning might be cohousing inspired, but is not a cohousing
community.)
Neighborhood Design
The physical design encourages a sense of community as well as maintaining
the option for privacy. (It is harder to define here exactly what
constitutes encouraging a sense of community, but rather
than saying it must be a pedestrian-oriented design with the cars
at the periphery, it is more important that residents are involved
in the decision making (see above) and the intent must be to create
a strong sense of community with design as one of the
facilitators. Getting together to afford your private golf club
does not do it.)
Private homes supplemented by common facilities
Common facilities are designed for daily use; they are an integral
part of the community and typically include a dining area, sitting
area, childrens play room, guest room, as well as garden and
other amenities. Each household owns a private residence
complete with kitchen but also shares extensive common facilities
with the larger group. (Cohousing is not a shared house. A shared
house could be included in a cohousing community but is a different
community/housing type.)
Resident management
After move-in.
Non-hierarchical structure and decision-making
There are leadership roles, but not leaders. The community is not
dependent on any one person, even though there is often a burning
soul that gets the community off the ground, and another that
pulls together the financing, and another that makes sure you, the
group, has babysitters for meetings, and another... (If your community
has a leader that sets policy or establishes standards unilaterally,
it is not cohousing.)
The community is not a primary income source for residents
There is no shared community (communal) economy. (If the community
provides residents with their primary income, this is a significant
change to the dynamic between neighbors and defines another level
of community beyond the scope of cohousing.)
See also:
Frequently
Asked Questions
Cohousing
and Sustainability
What
is Cohousing?
Subject Headings