Cohousing Development Concept

THE FUTURE IS COMMUNITY - GET CONNECTED!

Picture the state of neighborhoods these days - you click the garage door opener and hide behind your security wall without ever having to say "hello" to the folks next door. The house across the street has new tenants for the fifth time this year, but you will never know them, so who cares. A widow feels isolated and alone in her apartment, afraid of any unusual sound at night.

Even if we wanted to, opportunities to build relationships with one's neighbours are pretty slim. We make excuses that we just "don't have the time". Many of us prefer to retreat into the safety of TV land and know more about the "Simpsons", "Southpark" and "Neighbours" communities than our own.

Today we are facing increasing pressures on land resources, changes in family size and structure, financial burdens and a search for identity, community and a sense of belonging. Is it possible then, to recapture the kind of community where people know and help each other, experience a feeling of security, come together for social activities and live more sustainably using less resources? Where children can grow up with respect for each other and the environment?

As people grow increasingly dissatisfied with their current housing and lifestyle choices, one simple idea is gaining more and more popularity - cohousing. Cohousing can be described as the "contemporary village".

Conceived in Denmark in the 1970's, cohousing has been a viable and affordable housing alternative in Europe and North America, and is now being introduced to enthusiastic Australians.

 

COHOUSING COMMUNITY INTERNAL STREET - TRUDESLUND, DENMARK 

What is Cohousing?

Cohousing communities are co-operative neighbourhoods of 15 to 50 households. They are unique in that they are developed and managed by the people who live there. Self-sufficient individual homes, each with private gardens and linked by walkways, are clustered around the centre piece of the complex- the common house.

The common house is the soul of cohousing. Equipped with a community dining room, commercial standard kitchen, laundry, play room, work-shop, guest rooms and a "family" room, it is at the common house where community meals are held (usually a few times a week) and where residents pick up their mail, do the laundry or just "hang out" when they want company. The common house is the joint property of all residents of the complex.

 

A TYPICAL COMMON HOUSE LAYOUT

Another feature of a cohousing development is the shared use of common land. Every resident has a say in how this "green space" is used, such as play grounds, recreation facilities, orchard or communal vegetable garden, all maintained by the residents themselves. It's this potential for environmentally sustainable living that makes cohousing a viable option for those who share their commitment to the environment.

A cohousing project does not require any particular ideal to tie it together however, just the common value of community spirit. Residents don't like their communities being compared to 60's communes. And indeed they are not. People own (or rent) their own home or town house. They can sell at any time and to anyone. Interested buyers are asked, however, to attend several meals and get involved with the community before deciding to buy.

Benefits

Design

Environmental design principles are normally an important feature of cohousing. Smart building layout and design promote energy efficiency and sun control for summer cool and winter warmth. Water recycling and waste management reduce the impact of the development on the city. Cohousing communities are adaptable to any mix of housing style - detached houses, duplexes, and attached units. The average development contains 15 to 40 households of mixed ages and family structures.

Planning and Development

Realistically, the development of a cohousing community takes a great deal of time and commitment. Legislation such as the new "Community Title Scheme" is in place to facilitate the land tenure. It is relatively straightforward for the group to have body corporate ownership of the common house and grounds of the development.

Community

While cohousing schemes take time to plan, the process itself is seen as an integral part of creating the actual community of people. People need to feel a part of what they do. This sense of belonging exists with cohousing and its expression is summed up beautifully by a cohouser himself:

"Community is expressed when... you mow someone else's lawn because you want to surprise them, it's coming home from work early so you can go with a neighbor and hold her hand at her cancer exam. It's found in all the little things you do for each other, and for the group because, like love, you care about somebody else's happiness."

Affordability

The homes themselves are generally moderately priced. Facilities normally needed in houses, and the rooms that contain them such as the laundry, workshop and rumpus room, could be shared in the common house, thus cutting costs when building. The elimination of such rooms creates more actual living space.

Some residents take advantage of freed space to create larger home-office space, thus decreasing work-related expenses and sharing office equipment.

Some groups are investigating ways of lowering home prices further by using kit homes, qualifying for grants for Community Housing, or interesting developers in a joint venture, or buying undeveloped sites at lower cost.

Gold Coast Cohousing Association

In 1998 Roger facilitated the formation of the Gold Coast Cohousing Association to develop a cohousing community in the region.

Aim

The Association's aim is to promote and provide an alternative community based housing concept known as cohousing, adaptable to a variety of locational settings and a diversity of housing types.

Objects

Membership

Full members of the Association are households and singles with diverse economic and social backgrounds, ages and family structure, who have grasped the vision to live in a cohousing project as a better alternative to suburban living. Associate members and Friends of the Association comprise people who support the concept and aims of the Association, but at the present time do not wish to become residents of the development projects.

Management Committee:

Further Information

Please contact the President Colin Little +61 (0)7 55 262 511 for details.

Visit the international Cohousing website on the Internet at http://www.cohousing.org

 

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