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Creating Cohousing: Building Sustainable Communities Paperback – Illustrated, February 1, 2011

by Charles Durrett (Author), Kathryn McCamant (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 94 ratings
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The cohousing "bible" by the US originators of the concept.

A man's home is his castle. But demographic and economic changes haveturned our castles into islands. How can we regain the elements of the traditional village – family, cooperation, community and a sense of belonging – within the context of 21st century life?

Creating Cohousing: Building Sustainable Communities is an in-depth exploration of a uniquely rewarding type of housing which is perfect for anyone who values their independence but longs for more connection with those around them. Written by the award-winning team that wrote the original "cohousing bible" and first brought cohousing to North America, this fully-illustrated manual combines nuts-and-bolts practical considerations and design ideas with extensive case studies of dozens of diverse communities in Europe and North America.

Cohousing communities create unique opportunities for designing more sustainable lifestyles. Whether urban, suburban or rural; senior or intergenerational; retrofit or new, the authors show how the physical structures of cohousing communities lend themselves to a more efficient use of resources, and make everything from gardening to childcare to socializing easier.

Creating Cohousing puts the "neighbor" back into "neighborhood"; and is an essential resource for anyone interested in more environmentally and socially sustainable living.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    New Society Publishers
  4. Publication date
    February 1, 2011
  5. Reading age
    16 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    7.5 x 0.67 x 9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0865716722
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0865716728
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book, by the founders of the cohousing movement in the United States, is a must read for anybody who wants or needs to know about cohousing. It serves those who want to learn about living in one, creating one, or just better understand how cohousing is driving positive change in the broader culture."
— Craig Ragland, Executive Director, Cohousing Association of the United States

"In Creating Cohousing Kathryn McCamant and Chuck Durrett have done much more than bring the cohousing story up to date with the latest reports from both pioneer new communities. They have added valuable chapters on state of the art and best practices unique to cohousing design, development, and community building, and they have defined cohousing's influence and role in the current cultural transition toward a more sustainable lifestyle."
— Jim Leach, President, Wonderland Hill Development Company

Review

"This book, by the founders of the cohousing movement in the United States, is a must read for anybody who wants or needs to know about cohousing. It serves those who want to learn about living in one, creating one, or just better understand how cohousing is driving positive change in the broader culture."
― Craig Ragland, Executive Director, Cohousing Association of the United States

"In Creating Cohousing Kathryn McCamant and Chuck Durrett have done much more than bring the cohousing story up to date with the latest reports from both pioneer new communities. They have added valuable chapters on state of the art and best practices unique to cohousing design, development, and community building, and they have defined cohousing's influence and role in the current cultural transition toward a more sustainable lifestyle."
― Jim Leach, President, Wonderland Hill Development Company

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Society Publishers; Illustrated edition (February 1, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0865716722
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0865716728
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 16 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.49 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 0.67 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 94 ratings

About the authors

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Previous page
  1. Charles Durrett

    Charles Durrett

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Charles Durrett is a principal at McCamant & Durrett in Nevada City, CA, a firm that specializes in affordable cohousing. He co-authored the groundbreaking Cohousing A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves with his wife and business partner, Kathryn McCamant. He also authored The Senior Cohousing Handbook: A Community Approach to Independent Living.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Kathryn McCamant

    Kathryn McCamant

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Kathryn McCamant, and her husband Charles Durrett, co-authored Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves and founded McCamant & Durrett Architects and The CoHousing Company. They coined the term "cohousing" for which they are credited in the Oxford English Dictionary. Kathryn founded Cohousing Partners in 2006 with developer Jim Leach. Together they have designed and developed over 50 cohousing communities.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
94 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Alp
5.0 out of 5 stars Book is great, copy was marked, not good condition
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2023
Verified Purchase
Book is great, copy was marked and highlighted, not in good condition, THRIFT BOOKS
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Rebecca
4.0 out of 5 stars Overlapping content to "Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves"
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2019
Verified Purchase
FYI, if you have Cohousing, you don't also need this book. This is the third edition, which is a rename from their second edition. Most of the projects highlighted are the same from book to book, with similar or matching written content and graphics. The photos are in color in the 2nd, while they are all black and white in the 3rd edition. The color images are clearer. In the 2nd edition, there are some US based cohousing projects included that were dropped from the 3rd, while more of the author's projects were included. The Danish projects are the same, with some of the plans and other graphics shrunk down in the 3rd; again, the graphics are easier to read in this, the 2nd edition. There are also some updates to the text to reflect the author's recent visits to check up on the communities. Overall, the bulk of the content is identical and it is misleading that the books are listed under separate titles. I suggest you select one or the other to purchase. The 2nd is easier to look at, the 3rd is more current.
20 people found this helpful
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Brian
5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to co housing.
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2018
Verified Purchase
This is a great introduction to co-housing, a form of cooperative living originating in northern Europe that appears to be gaining in popularity in the US - for good reason. The book has been updated to reflect more recent work and could probably be updated again. The authors writing style is flavorful, authoritative and informative - the book is easy to read with a wide variety of examples and numerous anecdotes and insights into how these communities operate, how they overcome the challenges of creation and stay vibrant and functional over many years.
3 people found this helpful
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Robert Berens
5.0 out of 5 stars There are some good parallels to tis type of housing
Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2018
Verified Purchase
I'm working on establishing micro housing for the homeless. There are some good parallels to tis type of housing. There is a lot of details in this book that can act as guides. There is a lot of repetition as almost all of the case studies face the same problems and find the same solutions. If you are using the book as a guide you can read about a third of it and skip most of the rest or look for communities that are parallel to your application.
4 people found this helpful
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Rachelle S
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2021
Verified Purchase
A great introduction to cohousing. Fascinating, really. Only wish the pictures were in color.
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blue flame
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent information in an unfortunately lackluster black and white print
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2021
Verified Purchase
The concept and examples of cohousing are presented fantastically in writing. However the choice to go exclusively with black and white, mostly small photos, fails to inspire. I hope a new edition chooses a less is more approach - the small photos of people don't accomplish the goal of demonstrating the warmth of living in community and floors plans can be found and zoomed to all sizes online.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars My bible for creating pocket communities
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2019
Verified Purchase
This book has taught me everything I need to know to create Pocket Communities--really brilliant
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NKB
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed reading, provided insight and ideas for the small ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2017
Verified Purchase
Enjoyed reading, provided insight and ideas for the small cottage ADA compliant village I would like to create for me and my friends in the future.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Jacobo H
5.0 out of 5 stars Buena documentación
Reviewed in Mexico on October 5, 2020
Verified Purchase
Si están interesados en el cohousing, es una lectura muy enriquecedora. Muchas experiencias de todo el mundo pueden consultarse.
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Karyn Papadatos
5.0 out of 5 stars Cohousing in Canada 🇨🇦
Reviewed in Canada on March 15, 2019
Verified Purchase
Essential reading for creating a cohousing community! Highly recommended. Our group, Abundant Life Autism, is being helped greatly by this rich resource.
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tallmanbaby
5.0 out of 5 stars joyous and informative
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2015
Verified Purchase
This book sits comfortably beside classics such as The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Cities for People and Bowling Alone, in its praise of community life.

Co housing started in Scandinavia and spread from there. The book takes a strict definition of co housing, as housing that includes smaller private dwellings, and large communal dwellings, with all residents regularly cooking for their community. Like communism this all sounds great in theory, but we have all endured the hellish dystopian nightmare that is flat sharing.

The sheer energy and positivity of the book, peppered with photos and drawings, really does sell you on the vision of these communities of like minded people sharing their lives. The book is probably longer than it needs to be, but I found it a joy to read, this is the third edition and it obviously a labour of love, with each update improving on what went before. There is an element of self promotion, the authors are architects for co housing projects, but this is offset by their overwhelming generosity of spirit.

There are a few easily ignored typos later on, the word consense is used a couple of times without definition, and on Kindle the usual Amazon teaser appears after the main text but is difficult to get past.

Even if you don’t intend setting up a cohousing community,there is plenty of useful stuff here about creating better environments for living together, and a convincing optimism for making a better future.
One person found this helpful
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Ann G
4.0 out of 5 stars The housing-affordable housing we should be aiming for.
Reviewed in Canada on June 29, 2020
Verified Purchase
Great insight for future housing projects. This book take into account the ‘human’ aspect of living, co living essentially co-existing.
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PaintedDog
5.0 out of 5 stars Packed full of essential info
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 2, 2018
Verified Purchase
Packed full of detailed insight in how to make a cooperative housing project, cohousing or other, happen.
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