Cohousing is an intentional community centered around shared values and with a mission of fostering deep connection and collaboration among neighbors. They consist of private condo homes connected by shared common spaces such as shared kitchens, gardens and recreational areas. Members actively participate in community life, creating a supportive neighborhood where people know and help one another and come home to the privacy of their own households.
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It’s a new way to live—independently, but never alone—offering a modern take on close-knit village life where everybody knows and cares for one another.

Maintain your private space

Deep sense of community and belonging

Shared values and sustainable lifestyle

Each home has traditional amenities, including a private kitchen. Shared spaces typically feature a common house, which may include a large kitchen and dining area, laundry, and recreational spaces. Shared outdoor space may include parking, walkways, open space, and gardens. Neighbors also share resources like tools and lawnmowers.

Households have independent incomes and private lives, while actively collaborating on community activities and using shared spaces. The legal structure is typically an HOA, Condo Association, or Housing Cooperative.

Community activities feature regularly-scheduled shared meals, meetings, and workdays. Neighbors gather for celebrations, parties, games, movies, or other events. Cohousing makes it easy to form clubs, organize child and elder care and carpool.

Cohousing is a self-organized community where decisions are made collaboratively by its members. Everyone has an equal voice and plays a role in shaping the shared life of the group. Unlike a typical neighborhood, where neighbors often live side by side without much interaction, cohousing fosters real connection, mutual support, and a sense of belonging.

Common Characteristics of Cohousing

Because cohousing is designed by its future residents, no two communities are alike. However, there are a few characteristics that are common among most cohousing groups. 

Relationships

• Neighbors are committed to being part of a community that mutually benefits everybody.
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• Cohousing cultivates a culture of sharing and caring.
  
  
• Designed to have features and neighborhood size that promote frequent interaction and close relationships. Communities typically have 20-40 homes in them.

Balancing Privacy and Community

• Cohousing neighborhoods are designed for community while also respecting the needs for privacy of members.
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• Residents can choose their own level of engagement in community activities according to their own needs for privacy vs. shared time.​

​​Participation

• Decision making is participatory and often based on consensus.
• Self-management empowers residents, builds community, and saves money.​​

Shared Values

• Cohousing communities support members in living out their shared values, which may include things like sustainability and green living, shared interests, and mutual understanding and support.

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Communities around the U.S.

​There are currently over 170 established cohousing communities nationally, with nearly that many in the formation stages. California is home to more built communities than any other state! View this map to get a sense of cohousing nationwide.