So one group in class did a case study on a cohousing unit. It really made me look into these communities of cohouses. It definately got me really curious about how exactly things work.
This website gave all the information to satisfy my curiousity. This cohousing unit is in Ann Harbour, Michigan. The presentation made me wonder mainly about the operations of the common place. I really had trouble figuring out the purpose of the common kitchens if everyone had their own kitchen in their houses. But the Sunward cohousing unit holds dinners 3-4 times a week. People can sign up to be a head chef and organize a meal, or be an assistant chef or on a cleanup crew. The cost of the meal just gets divided among those eating while signing up for a job gets you a free meal. Being the head chef just once a month allows you to eat for a month.
There are also small monthly fees, similar to Condo fees ranging from ranging from $252 to $344 based on home size. And the actual prices of the homes seems very reasonable, ranging from $145 to $360K.
But I still really do not think these are meant for everyone, even if the idea sounds great, it would be hard to find one that suits each person. However I can imagine the kind of people that live in cohousing units must have great involvement in the community and very high social capital, making themselves and the community benefit as a whole.
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