The Cohousing Handbook: Building a Place for Community

by Chris ScottHanson, Kelly Scotthanson

Cohousing offers an end to the isolation of the single-family suburban home. Balancing community and personal privacy, cohousing is a chance to create a modern village in an urban or rural setting. Residents own their own homes and can gather in common areas to share meals and socialize. An increasingly popular form of housing in both Europe and North America, cohousing addresses and alleviates many of the demands and pressures of modern life-everything from day care to aging at home is easier with the help of your neighbors. As pioneers in the development of cohousing in North America, Chris and Kelly ScottHanson offer individuals and new groups a wealth of information and practical hints on how the process works. The Cohousing Handbook covers every element that goes into the creation of a cohousing project, including group processes, land acquisition, finance and budgets, construction, development professionals, design considerations, permits, approvals and membership. This revised and updated edition includes an expanded marketing chapter, as well as a foreword by Gifford Pinchot. A source of comfort and inspiration for those who want to create their ideal community, The Cohousing Handbook is a groundbreaking and practical guide to building a better society one neighborhood at a time-a must-have for the growing number of people who want to create a cohousing community. Chris and Kelly ScottHanson are acknowledged leaders in the development of cohousing, and are co-owners of Cohousing Resources, LLC. Chris is also president and CEO of Seattle-based Construction & Development Services, Inc., responsible for overseeing numerous cohousing projects from land acquisition through construction throughout North America. Kelly is CEO of Eco-Development, LLC, providing marketing, startup guidance and membership advice for numerous cohousing and ecovillage projects. They both live and work on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

Reviews

[Glen Grunau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book is a little dated, the material is meticulously organized and covers well the entire gamut of cohousing philosophy and planning. It is compiled by a couple knowledgeable and experienced in the field who offer the advantage of bring close to home in Washington State and being familiar with a number of cohousing communities established in our neighbouring home province of British Columbia.

Just last night our little community in Quesnel agreed to incorporate and to contract with a consultant to complete a feasibility study on some properties we are evaluating. Could this one day become a reality for us?

[Julie Capell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I have read so far about cohousing. Other books tend to go on and on about the philosophy of cohousing but this book really gets into the nuts and bolts of making a project happen. Chock-full of lists you can use at important points in the process like searching for a site, making an offer on a site, creating a site plan, evaluating the value of the units, and much more. Extremely practical. A few of the references are out-of-date (mostly the stuff about marketing, all pre-social media). I know I will be referring back to this book frequently as my own group progresses on its way to creating our own cohousing project.

[Cerris Pine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite being a bit dated in places, it really does get into the grooves of how these things are actually built from the ground up. It goes into getting permits, funding, organization ect. and does so very well. I think it's still incredibly relevant for doing these things today. Just ignore things like the three-ish pages on your myers briggs personality test, or marketing budgets for local papers.

[Nathan M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Handbook is an apt name for it, with 15 chapters covering the lifecycle of development. Since the book is 20 years old, some of the context was outdated, but overall it was interesting to get detailed perspectives on traditional development in a cohousing context (land acquisition, financing, contractors, etc) but also the un-traditional pieces that go with cohousing (group decision making, conflict resolution, private vs. common space considerations).

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

helpful topic. i got about halfway through this, but then lost interest in cohousing for other reasons

[Jimjoebob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I've read to help a group self-organize for co-housing. It's a shame there isn't a newer release, but much of it is still very relevant.

[Kim Ciniello · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another casualty of Mr. Dewey. Damn him. Not at all what I expected. More of how to live in a East Coast Style Co-Op than a commune type community. May be slightly outdated if researching the legal aspects of a condo type style community.

[Jeanne Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the bible and required reading for my community that formed in 2000.

It taught us everything from how to get started to how to get along!

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is a great resource, full of case examples, diagrams. floor plans, and lots of other information.