Cohousing?
Remember the hippie communes that proliferated in the 60's?
My vague vague recollection, it was the 60's after all, was that a group of people cohabited in one large house, sharing cooking, cleaning, and in same cases, it has been said, each other.
Cohousing, it appears, has some of the same ideology of the hippie communal life with a few variations that have made it attractive to many, including Boomers. The distinction is that each family or individual has their own fully functional home. Within the community there are separate facilities for communal cooking and dining as well as other communal activities. This NY Times article "raising the roof" gives a tad more information.
I like it.
While there is a tiny bit of me that thinks this feels suspiciously like a precursor to assisted living, if we subscribe to the "its not the destination but the journey" adage, it seems that it is a really cool concept.
Thoughts?
2 Responses
Haven’t read the article but the concept is good. How many of us “empty nesters” have spare bedrooms that we never use and formal dining rooms that get dusted down once or twice a year. And if in the final analysis it is the precursor to assisted living, I would rather select the community of people I want to live (and die) with than leave it to chance. I can see all the advantages of having the use of a large kitchen and dining room when I want to have a party, but not the expense or inconvenience of owning it full time. New condo buildings are catching on to the idea of having facilities when you need them. My building has a guest suite for hire when you have friends to stay who don’t want to sleep on your aero bed, and, when you want to make use of them, a party room with bar, a barbecue on an outside deck, and a movie room. Twenty first century living is all about making the best use of resources while living life to the full.
I think I watch this show on HBO – “Big Love”…