Frequently Asked Questions
Cohousing is a type of intentional neighborhood in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of the community. The physical design encourages social contact while preserving privacy.
Households have independent incomes and private lives, but residents collaboratively plan and manage community activities and shared spaces. Community activities typically feature regularly scheduled shared meals, meetings, and workdays. Residents also gather for parties, games, movies, or other events. Cohousing makes it easy to form clubs, organize child and elder care, and carpool.
Cohousing facilitates interaction among neighbors and thereby provides social, practical, economic, and environmental benefits.
Yes, and across the country too. According to the Cohousing Association of the United States, "Around the world when people learn about cohousing, they begin to envision a better life leading to a movement that includes more than 165 communities occupied in the US and about 140 in formation."
Durham is a veritable epicenter for cohousing with at least 10 cohousing groups in the area. One of our founding members, Jim, was featured in a 2018 article about Durham as a national leader in the cohousing movement.
Watch: Cohousing: The Future of Community and Human Connection | Trish Becker-Hafnor | TEDxCherryCreekWomen