Cohousing: Exploring a new way to live in the city

Kawartha Commons hosts information session at The Mount

Peterborough has the opportunity to demonstrate its sense of community by becoming a leading role model in cohousing, a crowd heard Tuesday.

Cohousing is a new kind of co-operative housing concept being introduced in Ontario.

“Cohousing is ecologically sustainable,” explained Scott Donovan, a local architect with seven years of experience with designing cohousing. “By its very nature, the clustered housing, smaller units and shared amenities are all green options.”

At the Mount Community Centre on Tuesday night, Donovan and other members of the cohousing group Kawartha Commons held an event to explain cohousing to locals who wanted to learn more or were interested in being a part of the project.

Kawartha Commons, a group of about 30, has met seven times in recent months. Members shared that they are eager to grow in the next five years.

Right now, they are in the process of defining the community’s needs and are working on developing a timeline and operational procedures to get started.

Cohousing happens, said Donovan, when a group of people come together to design and build a “village,” with the help of builders and consultants.

Cohousing villages are designed to create opportunities for people to come together in different ways, including community dinners, and share knowledge and resources.

Cohousing units do appeal to the elderly, explained Donovan, but can also be a great place to raise families.

“You can trust your neighbours with your children and it is also a great environment for kids to grow up around and learn skills and have mentors,” he said.

These projects are under development or already developed within small liberal pockets across the continent, explained Donovan.

Someone in the audience asked why it was difficult to find cohousing in a right-wing states or provinces.

“Part of cohousing requires investment in community and not individual,” explained local resident Sue Wurtek. “If you are not inclined to think that way, then it may be more challenging to accept the idea for those people who lean right.”

Many people who attended the presentation also had questions regarding whether there is a location in mind and how to actually get started.

Peter and Alanna Morgan wanted to know how flexible the design of the cohousing village would be, while Toni Murchison was concerned about how much the house-owner owned and what the village owned.

Questions were answered by Kawartha Commons members.

“Cohousing has a particularly strong role to play locally, both because the Peterborough populating is ageing and because the region is required to evolve towards higher density accommodations,” explained Alan Slavin, a retired physics professor and a member of Kawartha Commons.

Jill Jones of the Older Women’s Network shared an important message at the event that concerned her and many others.

“The Older Women’s Network and I would really like for this project to be inclusive of women, indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, people of colour, and our LGBTQIA+ communities,” she said.

NOTE: The Kawartha Commons website is at www.kawarthacommons.ca