“We are not planners,” says Julia. When she saw the notice for a cohousing info session she thought, “It’s a couple of blocks from our house, I really don’t know anything about cohousing and it sounds sort of interesting. Why not?” She and Lee packed up their new baby and their three year old and …
One of the great things about cohousing is that you get to know your neighbours before you move in. It takes time to build a cohousing project. But during that period, you’re forging friendships with the people you’ll be living with later. Here are just a few things our community members share. Sharing skills When …
When Chris’s parents emigrated from Vietnam, they were asked to choose where they wanted to live. Knowing nothing about Canada, they decided that the middle of the country seemed sensible. So they chose Saskatoon. The first snowfall was a life altering experience for them. “What have we done?” they asked. “In retrospect, they made a …
Getting a site ready for demolition is a weeks’ long process. Our building is replacing a 1950’s era duplex, and pulling out recyclable materials like wood takes time. So does the safe removal of asbestos and insulation before demolition can begin. We’ve grown used to seeing almost imperceptible changes on our site daily. When we …
Our construction partners have been working steadily since April. The old house at Ontario Place and Main is now gone. In its place is a big hole! The site has been cleared and excavation is underway. We’re so thankful for all of our wonderful partners: TOMO Spaces (developer), MA+HG (architect), the Haebler Group (builder), and …
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 …
Read more During a time of social isolation, cohousing builds community
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 …
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 …
“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 …
Read more Cohousing: The future of community and human connection
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 …