Cohousing

A cohousing development is a planned community that consists of private apartments or houses, which are supplemented by extensive community facilities. A cohousing settlement is the property of the residents and will be planned and managed, with the common goal to encourage interaction with neighbors together. Communal facilities usually include large kitchens and dining rooms, where residents can cook alternately to the community. Other community facilities can be, for example, laundry, child care centers, offices, Internet cafes, home theaters, libraries, shops and gyms.

Cohousing communities promote common social activities and daily planning for the benefit of the entire community. In addition, the resource planning of the municipality can have significant economic and environmental benefits.

Origin of the cohousing

The modern basics of cohousing come from Denmark and have been developed in the 1960s by groups of families who were dissatisfied with the existing cultivations and the existing community.

Cohousing has been in North America by two architects, Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett introduced which visited several cohousing communities and wrote a book about it ( ref: McCamant Durrett, 1994). Many cohousing communities exist in Denmark and other countries in Northern Europe. There are more than 78 working communities in the United States of America and more than 100 others in the planning stage. In Canada, there are seven communities and about 15 in the planning or construction phase. There are also communities in Austria, Germany, Australia, England and other parts of the world.

Definitions and characteristics of cohousing

Cohousing is used as a term for a wide range of innovative housing projects. The diversity of the so- named settlements of looking at the most fundamental concern of cohousing is (especially the sustainable community building ) makes it difficult sometimes. Therefore, here are some criteria defining the term.

A frequently used definition ( inspired by the originators of the term ) of cohousing includes at least four characteristics ( McCamant / Durrett 1994, p 38):

• Participation principle: Cohousing communities are formed, planned and developed with the active participation of future residents.
• Intentional Community: As one of several factors to create a strong community consciousness, the architecture is designed for maximum possible promotion of social contacts.
• Spacious Shared facilities: These complement and extend the individual residential units in the social and practical everyday range and include at least a community building with a communal kitchen and dining area as well as various infrastructure (communal washing machines and tumble dryer, children's play rooms, hobby rooms and much more ).
• Self-management: the residents have sole responsibility for operation and maintenance of the residential complex (although the practical implementation of this task can be delegated).

Two other points are like taken for granted, are here yet explicitly mentioned:

• Non-hierarchical structure: the residents assume responsible positions in the community, general, decisions are taken by the general public.
• Individual Income and Finance: Each household is financially supported by the Community independent.

The clearest distinction from other innovative forms of housing are referred to in point 3 community facilities. Namely, they are postulated not only social, but also and especially in the practical everyday range. This involves the ability to delegate household tasks from the individual living area in order to do it more efficiently in the form of jointly organized can. It is clear that this is about one in its strength and dynamism stable or even growing community in cohousing in the strict sense, since the nature and scope of the Community, but also the extent of their use have a major impact on sustainable development and community empowerment

So because of the different social effects, it seems reasonable to distinguish Cohousings with high demands on the community building of those in which this intention is not so consistently planned or implemented.

Cohousing in the strict sense always realized the rationalization and simplification of everyday activities and household tasks. This can and should be achieved in the individual time and money spent for these activities a substantial savings, which of course presupposes the existence and a corresponding use of appropriate community facilities. The extent of this reduction is a very important factor for the long -term success of a ( means of cohousing ) proposed community building.

In cohousing in the broader sense, the community facilities ( if any) all predominantly leisure oriented to exclusively. A communal kitchen is not available or is not used, time and money by performing household tasks common to play no significant role.