Welcome to

theBlue Mountains Cohousing

Initiative
Sydney CoHousing Inc. is an
umbrella group established in
2009 by a group of families,
aiming to promote and create an
intentional, intergenerational &
sustainable community in Sydney,
based on the Cohousing model.
modern cities are facing increasing
challenges around social isolation,
population growth, housing shortages
and resource distribution impacted by
climate change, but intentional
communities could be an avenue for
changing lifestyles to adapt to these
challenges..

Phil Bourne ,Common Ground & Cohousing Australia

Images curtsey Cascade Cohousing Hobart

Envisage living in a vibrant neighbourhood which

is environmentally aware, energy efficient. With
willing, fun loving, diverse people sharing the
many household tasks across the community,
creating more free time to live your dreams, and
reducing your cost of living! Home grown veggies!
......
What Is Cohousing?

Cohousing is short for collaborative housing;

it is also a form of Intentional Community‘, an
inclusive term for ecovillages, cohousing,
residential land trusts, communes, student
co-ops and urban housing cooperatives.
Intentional community is defined as

“A living environment where doors don’t

need to be locked, where significant
relationships with neighbours are the norm
rather than the exception, where
generations mix and everyone has a role,
where people experiment with commitment
to something more than their individual
interests ... in short, intentional
community.” (Mazo, 1992)
Intentional & Intergenerational
community

Images at senior cohousing by Chuck Durrett

Empowerment

Is the means by which individuals

acting collectively, gain
understanding of their
circumstances and, in the
process, gather control over their
lives.” (Meltzer 2001)
The concept of cohousing is not new,
it has roots in utopian, feminist, pre-
industrial western societies, where
small communities used to live and
sustain themselves by sharing
resources, property and aspirations‖
(Meltzer 2005)
Cohousing combines the autonomy of
private dwellings with the advantages of
community living. It has private units,
semi-private space, indoor and outdoor
communal space. It is built at low,
medium and high densities and in a
variety of layouts and locations, thus
communities are very diverse.
Communities can be
retrofit.

Swan‘s Market Cohousing,

Oakland California
retrofit

N Street, Davis California, 1984

as a building

Stacken, kollektivhus the first

cohousing unit in Sweden.
newly built

Jystrup Savvaerket cooperative 1984, Denmark

 Cohousing Development
Model

Resident led ; Partnership ;

Speculative

By the Working Developer

residents with led
the
develop
er
Characteristics of Cohousing:

1. Participatory Process

2. Neighbourhood Design

3. Common Facilities

4. Residential Management

5. Non- Hierarchical Structure &

Decision Making

6. Significant elements of the

community economy are
Characteristics of Cohousing:

Common house where

community activities &
shared meals occurs
 Why Cohousing?

The cohousing literature suggests that

European & US cohousing communities
have a better quality of life due to a
heightened sense of well-being and a
more affordable lifestyle (Marcus & Dovey, 1991;

Meltzer, 2000; Brenton, 1998; Fromm, 1991).

Sustainability

"forms of progress that

meet the needs of the
present without
compromising the ability of
future generations to meet
their needs."
 Sustainability
Environmentally
•
The nature of cohousing communities
reduces their impact on the
environment.
 Sustainability
Environmentally
•
The nature of cohousing communities
reduces their impact on the
environment.
 Sustainability
Environmentally, Socially
•
The nature of cohousing communities
reduces their impact on the
environment.

•Cohousing are socially inclusive, & have

strong social networks.
 Sustainability
Environmentally, Socially, Economically
•
The nature of cohousing communities
reduces their impact on the
environment.

•Cohousing are socially inclusive, & have

strong social networks.

• Cohousing is a proven affordable living.

 Sustainability
Environmentally, Socially, Economically
•
The nature of cohousing communities
reduces their impact on the
environment.

•Cohousing are socially inclusive, & have

strong social networks.

• Cohousing is a proven affordable living.

• Increase residents’ well-being.

The cohousing literature suggests that
European & US cohousing communities
have a better quality of life due to a
heightened sense of well-being and a
more affordable lifestyle (Marcus & Dovey, 1991;

Meltzer, 2000; Brenton, 1998; Fromm, 1991).

Cohousing Structure
Committees
Finance/ Treasurer
Networking
Group Coordinator
PR/ Events
Blog/ Web site
Editor/ Publisher
Legal
Design
Governance Model

Consensus process is when

•

we are all involved , and are

all considered till we reach
an agreement.

Sociocracy simplifies the

•

decision making process by

adopting a circle structure It
makes the policy decisions
within its domain; delegates
the leading, doing and
measuring functions to its
own members...”
Conflicts

Conflict resolution &

Nonviolent Communication
models
enables groups to solve and
deal with disputes in a
respectful way.
Cohousing Australia
Cohousing Australia
Cascade Cohousing, Hobart
•

Cohousing Cooperative, Hobart

•

Pinakarri Cohousing, Perth

•

Ecohousing Heidelberg
•

Cooperative

Melbourne, [under construction]

Christie walk, Adelaide

•
 Cohousing Australia

Cohousing Cooperative, Hobart

•
 Cohousing Australia
Pinakarri Cohousing, Perth

―Through Pinakarri we learn to love more completely‖

Ecohousing Heidelberg Cooperative,
Melbourne
Ecohousing Heidelberg Cooperative,
Melbourne
Urban Ecology, Christie walk, Adelaide
Cascade Cohousing
Hobart 1991
Living at Cascade Cohousing
Cohousing communities are old-
fashioned neighbourhoods created with
a little ingenuity. They bring together
the value of private homes with the
benefits of more sustainable living. That
means common facilities and good
connections with neighbours. All in all,
they stand as innovative answers to
today's environmental and social
problems.
Why Blue Mountains?
Why Blue Mountains?

The Beautiful Scenery of the Blue

Mountains, affordable
land and a sense of community
which already exists provides a
great platform for establishing a
Cohousing Community.
 “It takes people to create a community ”

http://sydneycohousing.blogspot.com/