Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves

by Kathryn McCamant

Book Overview

A movement that began in Europe has taken hold in North America because it provides some real answers for the increasing number of people who stop to look at where and how they live and at their impact on the environment. Cohousing is a way for a group of people to work together to develop places to live that offer both privacy and community with the values of an old-fashioned neighborhood-safety, independence, mutual concern. Many of these new ventures are up and running and many more are in the planning stages. Delivering more bang for the buck, this innovative approach to housing is challenging the formidable housing problems we face, and it is succeeding.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898153069
• ISBN13: 9780898153064
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.6" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Community

This book speaks to communities beyond the "garage door-opener" type of community. These are places like "Cheers" the TV series, "Where everyone knows your name"

Cohousing

This is an excellent book for the individual who would like to consider living in a community that isn't the typical, isolated neighborhood. Reading this book has really opened my eyes to so many of the benefits of cohousing. Originally I thought that it was like an old-fashioned commune but that's not it at all. Kathryn McCamnat, as well as her architect husband, Chuck Durrett, really know what they're talking about.

Cohousing the Cure?

A fabulous book which shows the beauty of the european style intentional community, with many enticing photos. It makes me think that even though it is difficult or impossible to utilize the pragmatic wisdom of traditional socialism on a national scale in the United States due to the misinformation and prejudice which has saturated our culture, it may be possible, practical and quite enjoyable to do it in small, intentional communities. While American culture has become infected with a disingenuous and artificial form of individualism which is the result of fallacious theories of econimics based on the superstition of Natural Law that has done nothing but leave individuals alienated, as well as economically disadvantaged, there have been many great experiments throughout history which provide examples of how a few of us can attempt to get rid of this societal sickness. The community known as New Harmony, founded by the Rappites and purchased by socialist thinker Robert Owen is one such example which was known as the "Athens of the West". There has been a renewed interest in this kind of community since the 1960's and rather than these communities failing like so many other fads, on the contrary, many have succeeded and there are now more than ever. Our society is desperate for a practical answer to it's own lack of connection between people and absence of cultural and generational continuity, whether it, or the individuals living in it are consciously aware of this fact or willing to admit it to themselves. While this book doesn't talk about communities like New Harmony, what the people in this book are doing is very much in that spirit, and I believe it holds the answers to many problems that can be used here and now. What we need now is something which will give us independence from the growing trend of corporate neofeudalism which values profit and underpaying labor over family, friends, real education (not education for money) self-enjoyment, and any hope of meaningful individuality (as opposed to the meaningless ideas of individualism propounded by free-market theories and shallow pseudo-philosophical and political fads like objectivism and libertarianism). I sincerely hope that one day that I can participate in such a community.

Contemporary Urban Design Opinion Leader

How much action can one book trigger? I wonder how many of theprojects can be traced back to readers being inspired by thisbook.Beautifully illustrated, well researched, the book conveys well the Aha erlebnis these architects must have experienced as they discovered these very liveable Danish communities.For readers who like architecture and wonder what kind of housing community can deliver homeliness based on both privacy and community.

THE book for anyone interested in cohousing

This book has everything: photos, diagrams, plans of action, references, and more. For the beginner, this book defines cohousing & makes it possible to visualize this type of community. For people who already know what cohousing is, this book gives you step-by-step information on how to make a cohousing community a reality.