Cohousing Communities

Charles Durrett is an architect, author, and advocate of affordable, socially responsible, and sustainable design. He has designed over 50 cohousing communities in North America and consulted on several around the world. He is Principal Architect at The Cohousing Company based in Nevada City, California.

Explore a groundbreaking and holistic new approach to designing community-first neighborhoods
 
In Cohousing Communities: Designing for High-Functioning Neighborhoods, distinguished architect and affordable housing advocate Charles Durrett delivers a complete, start-to-finish guide for designing anything where the emphasis lies with the community. This book describes the consequential role that architecture and a healthy design process can play in the success of neighborhoods, churches, towns, and more. It's an inspiring collection of ideas that prioritize high-functioning neighborhoods.
 
In the book, the author draws on the success of hundreds of community-first projects to show readers how to design a project that addresses both timeless and modern challenges--from aging to climate change and racism--in its architecture and urban design. He compiles facts and concepts that are essential to the design of a high-functioning community, where people can participate in a way that reflects their values, improves their social connections, and retain their autonomy and privacy.
 
Readers will also find:
* Ideas for town planning, street planning, and other town altering improvements
* Discussions of how developers can make better multifamily housing
* Explorations of how planners and politicians can make high-functioning neighborhoods a cornerstone of their community
* In-depth treatments of families who want to confirm that they're choosing the right neighborhood
 
Perfect for university students and professors who strive to see new ways to create neighborhoods, Cohousing Communities: Designing for High-Functioning Neighborhoods will also appeal to universities planning new neighborhoods for retired alumni or new housing for students and faculty.
 

Praise for Charles Durrett and Cohousing Communities:
 
"...Get and read Cohousing Communities... Read it from the front cover to the back cover. It's The Bible of Cohousing. And, like The Bible, it needs to be STUDIED not just read. Mark it up w/ your questions. Highlight, underline, write in the margins, fold the corners... This way you will gather your understanding how building cohousing gets "done," create your pathway to "Getting It Built"... and, most importantly get everyone on the same page for working together."
 
-- Ann Zabaldo, Executive Director, Mid Atlantic Cohousing

Introduction 1
 
Part 1 Intergenerational Cohousing Design 13
 
Chapter 1 Intergenerational Neighborhood Design: Neighborhood Site Design 15
 
Chapter 2 Haystack Heights Cohousing: Site Planning Workshop 49
 
Chapter 3 Intergenerational Neighborhood Design: Common House and Common Facilities Design 79
 
Chapter 4 Haystack Heights Cohousing: Common House Workshop 101
 
Chapter 5 Intergenerational Neighborhood Design: Private Houses Design 125
 
Chapter 6 Haystack Heights Cohousing: Private House Workshop 145
 
Part 2 Senior Cohousing Design 173
 
Chapter 7 Senior Neighborhood Design: Site Design 175
 
Chapter 8 Quimper Village: Site Planning Workshop 207
 
Chapter 9 Senior Cohousing Design Concepts: Common House Design 237
 
Chapter 10 Quimper Village: Common House Workshop 255
 
Chapter 11 Senior Cohousing Design Concepts: Private Houses Design 279
 
Chapter 12 Quimper Village: Private House Workshop 295
 
Part 3 The Rest of the Story 317
 
Chapter 13 Affordability 319
 
Chapter 14 The Details of Cohousing: What Components Lead to High- Functioning Neighborhoods? 363
 
Afterword 397
 
About the Authors 409
 
Acknowledgments 413
 
Other Books by Charles Durrett and Company 415
 
Index 417