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You may have read previous blog posts about cohousing and wondered, "What is cohousing?" If you have, you may have googled cohousing and found the website for the Cohousing Association of the United States (or CohoUS). Good for you!
If you haven't, then in a nutshell, cohousing is a type of collaborative neighborhood in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their own community. A central aspect of living in cohousing is a balance between private and community life. Neighborhood physical design encourages walkability and social contact while preserving resident needs for private space. Homes are conventional and privately owned or rented but residents have access to numerous shared facilities such as a community house, common green spaces, and play spaces.
Great, now you have a definition! But you might still have many questions about what they look/feel like and why people choose to live in cohousing communities. Perhaps because you wonder, "Would I like to live in a cohousing community?"
If you are interested in:
- Living lightly on the earth.
- Knowing and working cooperatively with your neighbors.
- Reducing your household chores (cooking, cleaning, yardwork).
- Sharing resources (woodshop, bikeshop, art space, kids play area).
- Having people check in on you when you are old, alone, sick, lonely, sad, ....(fill in the blank).
- Celebrating life's accomplishments and milestones with a group of people who care about you and want to celebrate with you.
- Living your values and having others encourage you to realize your full potential.
then you probably should be interested in learning more about cohousing.
If you’re looking for an alternative to how you live, I would encourage you to attend an informational session on cohousing – community oriented, cooperatively managed, but independently owned housing.
Who: Open to renters and homeowners, children welcome
Where: First United Methodist Church (Fellowship Hall) - 180 Denny Way, Seattle, WA
When: Saturday, October 23, 2010 10:00am-12:00pm
Cost: FREE but RVSP required