Finding Others:

Put yourselves out there:

When considering a site, think about:

Do it all yourself. This is only for the really capable and experienced group:

Partner with a developer. Many groups quickly realise that they don’t have all the skills and or time to undertake a design and development project of this scale. That’s ok! It is important to ask for help, it’s one of the reasons you are interested in cohousing. This is just another opportunity to build relationships. Finding a developer:

Questions to ask prospective developers:

Partnering with a Non-profit Developer (ie Community Housing Provider). This can bAs with other development partners it is important to ensure you have a good understanding of what you want to active and how you might work collaboratively with a NFP/CHP. Partnership Configurations:

Construction:

Living together:

Local Councils have a number of instruments that are legislative requirements and direct local planning. These include the Council Plan, Municipal Strategic Statement (MSS), Housing Strategy, and Health and Well Being Plan. An Affordable Housing Policy can provide for localised analyses and identify specific actions. These can be used to make reference to Cohousing models contributing to address key issues such as lack of housing diversity, housing affordability, rising costs of living, social isolation, community cohesion and resilience, environmentally sustainable housing and households, and safety and security. Such documents are generally referenced in Local Planning Schemes but unless specific policy, schedules or other planning instruments are included in the Council’s MSS or other planning tools (e.g. schedules to zones, overlays, provisions) they are not afforded a high status in appeals to VCAT.

Structure Plans, Masterplans, Urban Design framework and rezoning requirements (when residential densities are being increased) can be used to designate precincts for and/or support Cohousing in other ways. They can allow for identifying specific sites (underutilised public or private land) deemed suitable for cohousing development (adjoining parkland, public transport corridors, close to retail, commercial and community facilities). They can provide specific requirements and/or guidelines (such as minimal car parking but optimum bike storage requirements, and allowing communal water, waste and energy service systems) to promote and support cohousing (e.g. Heidelberg West and Bellfield Structure Plan, Banyule Council, Kananook Green Link Masterplan, Frankston Council).

Inclusionary zoning allows developers of new residential projects to get additional density and requires them to set aside a certain percentage of the development as affordable. Developers are required to incorporate a certain proportion of affordable housing in a development project, or make a cash contribution for an equivalent quantum and standard of affordable housing to be provided elsewhere in the neighbourhood in question. DELWP is currently piloting six sites across Victoria. Amendment GC81 Fisherman’s Bend’s concept of Floor Area Uplifts and Public Benefit calculationscan achieve similar outcomes. Cohousing can be specified as means to achieve inclusionary goals.

Relax on-site waste collection requirements for cohousing developments where residents are committed to jointly minimising the amount of wasteneeding to be collected.

Change general requirements around parking (number of car spaces per dwelling) and vehicle access to reduce extent of driveways. Allow verges to be used for share scheme car parking provided it does not interfere with street trees. Waiver carparking where Green Travel Plans are in place.

Provide exemptions from developer contributions by including planning permit conditions that will enable an exemption (Banyule Council Planning Scheme Amendment C115).

Reduce third party appeal rights if all requirements are met.

Provide for assessments to allow shared community facilities and open spaces to be included in assessments of individual dwellings.

Include legal agreements attached to permit applicationsto cap profit margins.

Provide incentives where owners consolidate sites to achieve greater social and environmental outcomes.

Reduce minimum dwelling sizes to allow for‘tiny houses’ and micro-apartments if part of Cohousing.

Use Voluntary Affordable Housing Agreementsto lever involvement of local government, housing associations, not for profits.

Cohousing developments must include the creation of a legal entity (e.g. incorporated association) with responsibilities for the following:

Cohousing is not defined by the planning scheme and, due to the variety of possible approaches to Cohousing developments, definitive elements will ensure that only genuinely socially responsible groups gain exemptions and incentives, and that the inclusion of Cohousing does not create a ‘loophole’ for developers to exploit. Given the critical role land use terms play in the planning system, the inclusion of Cohousing as a distinctive and well-defined addition to residential development typography is required to facilitate its formal development both for establishing groups and for planning approval processes.

Encourage Local Councils to advocate for cohousing including running information sessions, hosting workshops, and sharing information through their publications and social media. Creating a location where people can register interest and/or be linked to other groups.

NENA Housing Week featured two professional session in the area of Cohousing, discussing the availability, affordability, design and sustainability of Australia’s housing and human settlements. One of the goals of the Housing Roundtable discussion is discuessed to identify key actions to include in NENA’s Civil Society Strategy for a Wellbeing Economy especially in the area of existing and establishing cohousing communities. Session 1 illustrated multiple example of Cohousing with their history of development. Session 2 focus on different model of different with how to allocate finance and legal structure.

Speakers: Elena, Jose, Ian

Topic: How to translate and operationalize the notion of commons to promote cohousing

Scheduled for: Monday, May 17, 2021, 7:30pm-9pm

Focus on real-world case study of collaborative living implementation

Topic: Using strata and community title for cohousing properties

Benefits discussed: Individually owned lots combined with collectively owned common property allowing free buying/selling while maintaining community living

Audio recording to be published soon

Guest speaker: Alison. Topic: Building neighborhood support for cohousing projects and managing neighbor concerns

Discussion on the role and benefits of professional project management in cohousing development

Guest speaker: Nick James, Architecture. Project featured: Urban Coup cohousing community. Topic: Design principles and strategies for successful cohousing spaces

Topic: Transforming Not In My Backyard opposition into Yes In My Backyard support through community engagement

Candid discussion about both the positive aspects and the challenges of living in cohousing communities

Guest speakers: Keith Little and Paul Adams (architects). Featured cohousing residents from Urban Coup and WinC communities. Topic: Design excellence in cohousing developments

Topics covered: Approaching councils for land and support, understanding land requirements and specifications, approaching professionals (architects, developers, planners), and engaging with land holders and property owners

Search the community profiles for groups forming or existing in your area

Host a dinner party inviting people who you would like to live near are community minded.

Look on our various facebook pages. Say who you are and that you are interested in starting a new group or joining one in your area. List where you are interested in living. Start a facebook group for your community and post a link on the state forum.

Host a community meeting in your local library

When you have a few people register on the Cohousing Australia Website for a group membership and create a community profile.

Key cohousing attributes include:

Participatory Process: Co-design and collective development model

Private homes and communal spaces

Neighbourhood design / circulation space to foster sense of community (& provide privacy)

Non-hierarchical community governance and stewardship (operational control)

An intentionality to foster community and potentially to pursue other goals collectively

Cohousing is co-designed with communities concerned about sustainable living. Projects are community led providing for end users to contribute significantly to the design of the cohousing community by taking an active role in creating not only the built form but also the community. Design is used to encourage social interaction, for example by keeping cars to the periphery and putting common areas in centre of the site.

Cohousing includes both the provision of private and common facilities providing a balance between privacy and community. Most cohousing communities have shared indoor and outdoor facilities such as cooking and dining spaces, meeting and play areas, food growing, laundries and guest rooms. This means that the private dwellings can be smaller as residents also have the benefit of the common facilities.

Cohousing embeds collective resident control and stewardship into its legal form and decision making. Residents manage their own community, looking after the maintenance, running the finances, tending the gardens, organising shared activities and developing tools and approaches to manage community dynamics. The community is governed in a non-hierarchical way, often using consensus decision making and /or concepts such as sociocracy. This encourages people to support each other and the promotion of a community spirit.

Cohousing communities are inclusive and part of the wider community. Most groups actively encourage open membership. People wishing to join a group will need to work out if cohousing is right for them. Cohousing groups often host wider community activities in the shared space and common house, and support wider community projects. Seldom are they insular, or secretive. Of course they are also not open to the public; like any apartment project or housing area people want a reasonable level of privacy and security. Please contact projects if you want to visit them.

The collective nature of Cohousing means when a group pools its resources, the members significantly increase their buying power. Resident-driven Cohousing has potential for greater affordability by internalising developer margins and eliminating marketing costs. Groups often want to invest in environmentally sustainable infrastructure and this can require higher capital investment. Smaller, energy efficient homes cost less to build and run. However the communal spaces also need to be collectively funded and this usually makes up the difference. Communities can organise opportunities to reduce daily living costs through shared laundries, community meals and bulk food purchasing. These all contribute to reduced cost of living and long term affordability.

Community laundries, car share and food cooperative, reduce costs. Sharing equipment such as tools, lawnmowers and play facilities between households saves money and makes better use of them. In line with reducing ongoing costs cohousing generally has a focus on passive design for energy and water efficiencies and waste reduction, and minimise car use promote walking, cycling and public transport.

Loneliness, depression and social isolation are growing problems. In Cohousing, residents often meet up to eat together, chat, organise and socialise. Gardens and shared spaces are situated to encourage interaction between residents and the local community. The care and connections that are fostered in cohousing lead to a wide range of possibilities. For example, residents report avoiding prolonged hospital stays, having fun community events and spending less time on maintenance. Cohousing has the potential to keep older people active, healthy and engaged, and reduces the demand for health and social care services. Research tells us that developing strong social connections is fundamental to individual and community health and wellbeing.

In a cohousing community people do not keep a check on each other's whereabouts, but will instinctively know if something is out of the ordinary. Cohousing design encourages shared pedestrianised walkways and car-free central shared gardens providing for passive surveillance and safe spaces for outdoor activities.

The community decides together how things are organised; there is no external management committee. It starts from the beginning when future residents have an active say in the design of the community. This also creates a cooperation, a sense of place and ownership of issues and solutions and allows for adaptable, customised living solutions.

More information about the social, economic and environmental benefits that cohousing can deliver can be found here.

Independence and remaining connected to the community is key to our happiness as we retire. Cohousing offers an affordable and sustainable housing option for seniors who:

Want to reduce living costs and downsize but don't want to move cities/towns to afford retirement

Want to stay near family, friends and local services

Value neighbourliness but want to maintain privacy

Want to remain active and engaged in a community

Want to live somewhere stable, secure and safe

Want to find a way to share skills and knowledge with others

Want to reduce the environmental footprint of their housing.

Cohousing can take many forms, so there are types to suit everybody's retirement vision. Some cohousing communities are intergenerational, allowing seniors to maintain connections with young people and families. Others are seniors-only, allowing residents to enjoy a quiet retirement. Cohousing can also provide opportunities to share health care costs—whether through a live-in carer that is shared among residents or a similar arrangement that helps offset the costs of accessing in-home care.

Cohousing is about sharing—but you get to have a say in how much you share. It's also about managing your own community—but you can determine how involved you get in this, too.

For more information regarding what is cohousing, please visit: https://www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/article/downloads/UTS_ISF_What_Is_Cohousing_factsheet_WEB.pdf

Initiative to support cohousing development through research and policy work

Collaborative Housing website resource: https://www.collaborativehousing.org.au/