The other day, I found myself watching HGTV (again), and on one of those follow-me-as-I-look-at-real-estate shows, the buyer was looking for not only a house, but a cohousing community in the Pacific Northwest. Of course, this led me to research cohousing, and I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. Cohousing is a movement towards both old-fashioned communities and sustainability. According to the Cohousing Association of the United States, the defining features of a cohousing community are:
- Participatory Process – residents participate in the design and maintenance of their own community, typically through a democratic process
- Neighborhood Design – The design of the community encourages, well, community. Houses face each other and neighbors share outdoor spaces. In other words, no independent yards blocked off with high fences.
- Common facilities – Communal areas supplemental the often smaller houses of the community, such as a common kitchen, dining area, children’s playroom, laundry, library, exercise room, grounds, and even guest rooms.
- Resident Management – Rather than outsource the upkeep to another company, residents are expected to manage and maintain their communities, prepare common meals, and meet regularly to solve problems and develop policies.
- Non-hierarchal structure & decision-making – No one neighbor has authority over another one, and residents take on roles that suit their skills and abilities. And everyone has a say in decisions.
- No Shared Community Economy – Unlike some communes, the cohousing community is not a source of income for its residents, and volunteer work is just that – volunteer.
Sounds peaceful and appealing, right? And while cohousing doesn’t necessarily have to be green or sustainable in construction, most communities are very concerned with maintaining a certain level of sustainability. The mere fact of residents sharing communal space rather than trying to buy large, independent spaces makes cohousing a much greener option.
However, most of us are not in the market to move into a cohousing community, and unless you live & work in a certain area, you may not ever have a chance to join such a community. But after looking at the criteria for cohousing, I realized that many of these principles can be adapted to fit into the average suburban lifestyle.
1) First, we need to start living small and buying small. Enough with the sprawl and McMansions. Just because you’re having a baby doesn’t mean that you need to immediately buy a 3,500 square foot house. Don’t expand on your house; instead, get rid of most of your stuff. Plant more trees and local plants to slowly “cut” you’re your yard. Smaller houses and smaller yards mean less chores, less energy, and less of a footprint on the earth.
2) Start thinking about creating “common areas” in your life. Maybe you can’t build a communal dining room, but you can invite family and friends over for dinner on a regular basis. How about a monthly potluck? Or getting the girls together for a big freezer dinner-making marathon? When we move in a couple of months (more to come about this), we will be very close by to my parents, and I plan on sharing many meals with them during the week (especially when I have a newborn!). Think about staying close by to family so you can continue to share meals, share childcare duties, and create your own communal space.
3) Don’t block off your yard with fences! Fences may create good neighbors, or so the saying goes, but it also reinforces the isolation and loneliness in the suburbs that so many of us feel. At the very least, take a walk around your neighborhood and say hi to your neighbors.
4) Participate in your community voting in local elections and staying active in local politics. Join the PTA, attend community forums, and read the local news to learn more about what it is happening around you. You can make a difference in your neighborhood if you use the political channels that already exist. And if you don’t like what’s happening, think about volunteering or heck, even run for office.
5) Be a good neighbor. Pick up trash. Shovel the sidewalks. Watch out for other people’s kids and dogs. Sit out on the front stoop and drink lemonade. Plant a tree and make sure your neighbors see you doing so. Say hello.
Cohousing is a great idea, and if I had the money and ability to move to such a community, I would. But in the meantime, I plan to focus on making my own cohousing community right here in my backyard.