WHAT IS COHOUSING?

Cohousing...

• is a form of intentional community that was imported to the United States from Denmark in the late 80s.

• provides the privacy we are accustomed to with the community we seek.

Characteristics of Cohousing

Participatory Process --

Residents participate extensively in the planning and design process for the housing development.

Intentional Neighborhood Design --

The physical design encourages a strong sense of community

Extensive Common Facilities --

To supplement private living areas, common areas are designed for community activities like optional shared meals and community gardens.

Complete Resident Management --

Most decisions are made using a refined consensus process.

Cohousing strives to create a village of all ages and backgrounds where neighbors know and support each other.

Cohousing is supportive of all generations.

• Children have the opportunity to be raised by a nearby “extended family”.

• Adults enjoy the opportunity to socialize and form interest and support groups without the stress of driving across town.

Bringing people close together can make it easier to share resources.

• Individuals’ unique skills are shared and valued. You can always find someone to help with a chore or do something you cannot.

• Children can have many adult mentors from whom they can learn a variety of skills.

The cohousing model recognizes that a balance of private and common spaces helps support a strong community life.

Cohousing is more ecologically sustainable than most suburban housing in the U.S. today.• Clustered housing saves

valuable land for community facilities, recreation, and conservation and promotes community connection.

• Smaller homes save construction materials and energy for heating and cooling.

• Shared items mean less consumption of non-renewable resources.

The common house is a shared space used by residents for many functions.

• Cooking and dining together• Celebrations• Large events, such as weddings• Entertainment -- theatre, music, and

multicultural sharing• Meetings

The common house also provides...

• Guest rooms as a community asset for visiting friends and relatives.

• A kids’ room as a play space and childcare area, where children can be children.

• Laundry facilities which save resources and bring people together.

• A community workshop which allows tools and materials to be shared, thus freeing up space in individual homes.

How is cohousing built?• Most groups make development and

design decisions by consensus.

• Groups call on the expertise of professionals such as developers, engineers, architects, lawyers, builders and contractors.

It takes longer to build a cohousing community, but the process is worth it!

Because residents design the community themselves . . .

They feel a connection to the land and each other before the physical community is built.

What is Garden State Cohousing?

• A startup cohousing community in New Jersey which formed in May 2003.

• We envision about 30 units in our community.

• We are researching sites within 1 ½ hours of NYC.

• We are currently determining our land criteria.

• We are researching ways to have units of varying sizes and initial costs.

• We are in the formative stages of creating Garden State Cohousing; the earlier you commit, the more input you have into the entire direction of the project.