What is Cohousing?

Two ladies talking in a garden

Cohousing is an intentional, sustainable, neighborhood that was conceived in Denmark about thirty years ago and has since spread throughout the world. There are currently over 100 completed cohousing communities in North America and more than 100 in various stages of planning or construction. Twelve cohousing communities currently exist in Colorado.



Main Features of Cohousing Communities:

  • Developed, owned, and managed by the residents.
  • Individual homes are clustered around common facilities designed for community activities, work, play and child care.
  • Designed to engender a small-town, extended-family atmosphere and neighborhood solidarity.
  • Multi-generational, mixed income families and singles.
  • Sustainable use of resources such as community gardens, workshops, recreational areas.

Links to More Information

  • Coho/US The Cohousing Association of the United States (Coho/US) actively promotes the development of cohousing and other intentional communities. Their Web site is a great source for information about the cohousing process and about communities in the United States.
  • McCamant & Durrett Architects An architecture and consulting firm with offices in Berkeley and Nevada City, California. Since 1987, the firm has provided complete architectural services for a wide range of clients and is well known internationally for the design of cohousing communities.
  • Conflict and Consensus "On Conflict and Consensus: a handbook on Formal Consensus decisionmaking", by C. T. Butler and Amy Rothstein of Food Not Bombs Publishing.
  • Wonderland Hill Development Company This developer is our partner in creating Casa Verde Commons.

Books about Cohousing

  • The Cohousing Handbook: Building a Place for Community, by Chris Hanson, 1996, Hartley & Marks, Inc.
  • CoHousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves, by Kathryn McCamant, Charles Durrett, and Ellen Hertzman, 1993, Ten Speed Press