Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves [Paperback]

Kathryn M. Mccamant (Author), Charles Durrett (Author), Ellen Hertzman (Author), Charles W. Moore (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1994

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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Alright, you tried living in a commune in the 1970s, and people kept borrowing your toothbrush and leaving dishes in the sink. Then you set up house by yourself and felt lonely. You got married, started raising a family and ended up feeling isolated from your friends and the rest of the community. You go to work, wave to your neighbors over the fence now and then, and think there must be more to life than this. There is: a whole new concept of building a neighborhood and sense of community. This is the story of how and why cohousing works, and how to go about making it happen for yourself.

Review

Does the idea of not having to cook meals for yourself or family every night, deal with traffic on your block, or worry when your children are out playing in the neighborhood appeal to you? If the answer is yes, you may want to consider exploring cohousing, a concept that originated in Denmark in the early 1970s and has spread throughout Europe. In Cohousing, a number of European cohousing communities are profiled. Although each community is a unique reflection of its members' tastes and desires, there are some common components, such as parking lots on the perimeters of the community for pedestrian safety, a common house where meals can be shared, and recreational facilities housing various community activities and services. With all the responsibilities entailed in managing a home and/or a family, cohousing is a solution for finding sufficient time to relax and spend with the people who are important to us. (The authors have recently started The Cohousing Company, a design and development company formed specifically to assist groups interested in planning and implementing cohousing in this country.) --The WomanSource Catalog & Review: Tools for Connecting the Community for Women; review by Ilene Rosoff

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; 2nd edition (March 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898155398
• ISBN-13: 978-0898155396
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.5 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars THE book for anyone interested in cohousing December 24, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

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.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars good start December 29, 1999

By Kelly

Format:Paperback

This book is the perfect place to begin considering if cohousing is for you. Beautifully illustrated it allows the reader to imagine themselves in cohousing. If your ready to make your project happen I recommend THE COHOUSING HANDBOOK by Chris Hanson.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Contemporary Urban Design Opinion Leader July 24, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

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.