Blog - Our Urban Village

During a time of social isolation, cohousing builds community

Residents of Nanaimo’s only intentional community illustrate what living together really means. Do you know your neighbours’ names—first and last? What about their birthdays? Although cities are becoming more dense and technology has made the ability to connect with each other instant, the emotional distance between some people continues to grow. But connection is hardwired …

Community Stories

My Big Cohousing Adventure in Langley

If you’ve ever wondered how one goes about planning, designing and building a cohousing community a recent article posted in the Tyee, may answer some of these questions. Elizabeth Rosenau, a retired pharmacist currently living in Maple Ridge, has joined a group of like minded people who are planning a cohousing project in Langley. The …

Member Profile

Seeking the village it takes to raise a child

Tara’s and Aaron’s childhood experiences could not have differed more. But their desire to live in cohousing has the same roots: they want their kids to grow up in a big warm community and to live in one themselves. Aaron grew up in Connecticut in a small, loving family with a dad who is a …

Events

Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On

The Calgary European Film Festival in partnership with the Austrian Cultural Forum is bringing a unique documentary about the co-housing movement in Austria to Canada! Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On is a documentary about self-organized and self-managed housing projects in Austria, which formed in the 1960s. Through interviews with participants and residents of these individual housing …

Events

Oct 9 – Social event: Southlands Pumpkin Patch

Fall is upon us, so this month OUV will be meeting up for a pumpkiny good time at Southlands Heritage Farm in Vancouver. We’ll be attending rain or shine, so come dressed for the weather. Friday, October 9th – 5:30-6:30 We recommend purchasing tickets in advance here: Southlands Heritage Farm October Pumpkin Patch

Events

November Zoom coffee chat

If we’ve learned anything from COVID-19 is that we all know how to Zoom. Although we miss meeting in person, Zoom does have its advantages. No need to dress up too fancy or search for a place to park your bike come to mind. If you’re interested in finding out about cohousing and pressed for …

Cohousing: The Future of Community and Human Connection

“Capitalism will not bend over backwards to make sure that you have a life of human connection and meaning. It won’t. […] So I’ve learned that we simply have to create the environments in which we want to live. We must build our own villages.” Have a look at Trish Becker-Hafnor’s Ted talk and find …

Community Stories

Happier together

Our Urban Village is proud and excited to be a future part of the pioneering research project Happy Neighbours: Promoting affordability and social wellbeing through multi-unit housing design and programming actions. Happy City will assess the impact of the design on residents’ sociability, sense of belonging, social trust, perceived health and level of engagement before …

The Nuts and Bolts of Community, Nov 7

Presented by the Cohousing Association of the United States, this online event will discuss the systems that make our communities work. Everything from budgeting, to work day planning, capital reserves, to paying for common meals. Save the date now for a full day of “how to”s and cohousing stories. You won’t want to miss this …

Member Profile

From co-living to cohousing

My parents welcomed one and all to our house in Mexico City where I grew up. Our home was filled with relatives, friends and visitors who lived with us for anywhere from a few days to many months. I don’t remember a time when we didn’t share our house with someone (often many someones). My …