Resources
See also “What is cohousing?”
“Cohousing communities are intentional communities. They are created and run by their residents. Each household has a self-contained, personal and private home but residents come together to manage their community, share activities, eat together. Cohousing is a way of combating the alienation and isolation many experience today, recreating the neighbourly support of the past. This can happen anywhere, in your street or starting a new community using empty homes or building new.” (UK cohousing network)
The UK Cohousing Network
This website has a good website listing a range of resources, with information and contact details about a number of established projects and groups.
Books
Cohousing by Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett (ISBN 0898155398)
The best general book to date with very useful case histories from Denmark and USA.
Creating a Life Together by Diana Leafe Christian (ISBN 0-86571-471-1)
A good book on group forming/dynamics, decision making and conflict handling.
Eco Village at Ithaca by Liz Walker (ISBN 0-86571-524-6), from New Society Publishers.
A book about a recent cohousing ecovillage which has attracted a lot of media interest, with frank account of the joys and challenges of cohousing.
Reinventing Community by David Wann (ISBN 1-55591-501-9)
An enjoyable book with interviews with some of the leading figures in American
Cohousing, eg Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett, the first cohousing developer, architects, group facilitators, plus a range of community members.
Senior Cohousing: A Community Approach to Independent Living by Charles Durrett (ISBN 0-945929-30-7)
A good book on senior cohousing with case studies mainly from Denmark and the USA.
Thinking About Cohousing by Martin Field (ISBN 0-9514945-7-0)
The first UK book on cohousing and published in 2004. It is useful on some of the particularities of the UK situation, e.g. legal frameworks, specimen shareholders’ agreements, business plan check lists.
We the People – Consenting to a Deeper Democracy. A Guide to Sociocratic Principles and Methods by John Buck and Sharon Villines (ISBN 978-0-9792827-0-6)
The only book written in English on the Sociocratic method, which is the organisational structure and decision-making practice used by Bridport Cohousing.
Courses
Creating Cohousing
A weekend course held at The Threshold Centre, Gillingham, Dorset (website). This is one of the few cohousing projects up and running in the UK and this course is an excellent way of experiencing cohousing in action.
Other cohousing projects in Britain
All links open in a separate Window/Tab.
Bridport Cohousing
-is the first affordable new build cohousing project. See www.bridportcohousing.org.uk
The Community Project
-in Sussex is the longest established cohousing project in the UK, and the documentation may be useful. See www.cohousing.org.uk/community-project
The Hockerton Housing Project
in Nottinghamshire (website) is an innovative small scheme demonstrating sustainable living. They offer useful information resources, and a matchmaking service to link projects and households.
Stroud Cohousing Project
is the first new build cohousing group in the UK. See www.springhillcohousing.com
The Threshold Centre
has details of their courses on cohousing and other topics, also general information about the project and details of their planning application and the supporting case. See www.thresholdcentre.org.uk
Lilac
A project in Bramley, west Leeds.
K1
A cohousing project in Cambridge website