A Do-It-Yourself Community Called Co-Housing
Baby Boomers May Change the Paradigm of Aging and Build Communities
Sep 30, 2009 Ellen Freudenheim
There's an idea afloat that maybe the best way to age in America is in small, close-knit communities that balance social support with privacy and independence. After all, Americans are living longer. And, the social institutions of aging that "fit" previous generations might not suit Boomers. Many plan to continue working for years, or decades. (After the current recession, even many of those who planned to retire have now postponed that idea.) And with a fifty-percent divorce rate, millions are single. Policy experts are clear that the nation doesn't have enough nursing homes to accommodate all the Boomers--and many would give their eye-teeth to avoid that fate, anyway. Enter the concept of co-housing.
Co-Housing, An Idea Borrowed from Denmark
Co-housing is a small, highly interactive community in which participation is highly valued, but where there are no religious, political or ideological requirements. Typically, residents live in private, fully equipped apartments or homes. Residents share green space, recreation areas and a “common house.” Most importantly, they share a philosophy of participation.
In its ideal form, co-housing is a recipe for balancing personal independence with group interdependence. The model for this arrangement, hatched in Scandinavia in the mid-1980s, has taken root in the US as an alternative lifestyle. It's an interesting group living opportunity for mature individuals precisely because it preserves privacy and independent living but fosters a cooperative, supportive, and available community.
Hundreds of co-housing communities exist in Denmark, Sweden, Holland and Germany. They range from urban apartment-style co-housing community to suburban style co- housing neighborhoods in smaller cities and towns.
Group Decision-Making Builds Community Bonds in Co-Housing
Residents actively participate in the planning, design and democratic operation of the community.
Many communities share meals together in a common room on a regular basis in the common house.
The common house is a hub of community activity. It typically includes a kitchen, dining area, and sitting area. It might also contain a workshop, library, exercise room, crafts room and/or one or two guest rooms.
Buying A Home in Co-Housing
Most US co-housing units are condos. Individuals buy and sell their own units on the open market.
There's not a huge inventory of co-housing homes in the US. There are co-housing developments in Washington State, California, Oregon, New York, Massachusetts, Michigan and elsewhere. On average,communities are comprised of several dozen residential units (although some of the largest developments are built for eighty units). Many have waiting lists for interested buyers.
In co-housing situations, residents never simply buy a house as one would in a normal suburban setting. Rather, when people move into a co-housing development, they’re making a commitment to a group of people who will be as close to them, or even closer, than their own extended family.
A Form of "Intentional Community," Co-Housing Offers Alternative Lifestyle with No Ideology
Co-housing falls under the category of“intentional communities,” meaning that the residents come together with a shared set of values, which includes creating a strong community. Members participate in making key decisions.
However, co-housing, by definition, is an apolitical, non-religious, democratically-run community which does not (like a commune) pool assets of its members.
Co-Housing: Alternative Lifestyle Trend?
Two California-based architects, Charles Durrett and Kathryn McCamant introduced the co-housing concept in the United States in the early 1960's. Since then, dozens of co-housing projects have been completed nationally.
The Co-Housing Association of the United States runs tours, meetings and has an interactive Web site for further information.
Occasionally, the mass media pick up on this trend, specifically as it relates to senior citizens. For instance, the New York Times featured a story “California, New Kind of Commune for Elderly” about a dozen friends whose average age was 80 who bought land together and created a “self-planned housing development” community called Glacier Circle
Still, it's a relatively slow-growing trend that generates a lot of interest. Many people just can't bring themselves to "tear down the fences" that Robert Frost so commended in his line "good fences make good neighbors."
But imagine if millions of Boomers created new co-housing communities, committed to eating meals together in a common space, and committed to everyone pitching into managing the affairs of the community. People could remain in their own homes, rather than relocating either to a retirement community or living with extended families or, worst case, in old age institutions. It's an appealing model. Stay tuned, Boomers: co-housing may be the wave of the future.
Longing for community? Consider Cohousing
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