Our Urban Village, a Vancouver Cohousing Community

Cohousing is an intentional community of private homes oriented around shared space.

Each unit is self-sufficient – like a standard condo building – with traditional amenities, including a private kitchen. What makes cohousing different are the shared spaces centred around a common house, which in our case incorporates a large kitchen, dining area, laundry, and indoor recreational space. Our building has been designed to encourage community interaction and relationship building, with widened outdoor walkways allowing for patio furniture, all looking onto a central courtyard. Households are independent, but neighbours collaboratively plan and manage community activities and shared spaces.

For people who love urban living this could be a great fit for you. Based on the experience of other similar cohousing groups, like Capitol Hill Urban Cohousing in Seattle, we know there is added value of living in a great community on a smaller footprint.

If you would like more information on cohousing history, please take a look at our blog or get in touch.

Is Cohousing for You?

If you nod in agreement to the majority of these statements, then you might want to consider cohousing.

You are seeking meaningful connections with your neighbours and want to raise your kids in a warm community.

If we’ve learned anything during the pandemic it’s that we can’t take any of our relationships for granted. Building those links close to home just makes sense.

You like to share stuff and skill as a way to reduce your footprint on the planet.

Being able to borrow a pressure cooker or pasta maker from your neighbour seems like a very attractive proposition. And why call a plumber when there’s one next door?

You want to age in place surrounded by lively multigenerational neighbours.

Why wouldn’t you want to be surrounded by a vibrant group of people of all ages who want to support each other. Aging is tough enough without having to do it on your own.

How do I balance neighbourliness and privacy?

All of us have different needs for together time and alone time that a co-housing community respects. Because you have your own unit, you can withdraw to recharge and then become more active as energy and time permits. However, to feel connected to your neighbours, you’ll want to participate in common activities when you can.

What if I want to sell my place?

You own your strata condo and can sell it anytime you want to whomever you want. For many cohousing communities, there is a wait list of people who wish to buy into the building because they are interested in what cohousing offers. Potential buyers usually want to meet with the community to see if they are a good fit. Cohousers typically want to sell to people who are like-minded and interested in joining the community.

Resale values generally compare well for cohousing units although every place is different. Some research from the US shows that, once built, the resale price of a cohousing unit is usually more than a traditional home. (From Creating Cohousing: Building Sustainable Communities; New Society Press, 2011)

© 2024 Our Urban Village, a Vancouver Cohousing Community
We are grateful to be located on the ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.