Cohousing is a community-led housing paradigm in which intentional, self-governing communities live together. Usually, this means developments of private dwellings with shared communal spaces.

https://sydneycohousing.au/about-cohousing/

In <cite>Creating Cohousing</cite>, Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett write:

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Cohousing developments vary in size, location, type of ownership, design, and priorities. Yet in our research we identified six common characteristics:

<strong>Participatory Process:</strong> Residents organize and participate in the planning and design process for the cohousing community, and are responsible as a group for all final decisions.

<strong>Designs that Facilitate Community:</strong> The physical design encourages a strong sense of community.

<strong>Extensive Common Facilities:</strong> An integral part of the community, common areas are designed for daily use, to supplement private living areas.

<strong>Complete Resident Management:</strong> Residents manage the development themselves, making decisions of common concern at community meetings.

<strong>Non-Hierarchal Structure:</strong> Responsibility for decisions is shared by the community’s adults.

<strong>Separate Income Sources:</strong> Residents have their own primary incomes. The community does not directly generate income for its residents, nor (with rare exception) do its residents share income from community-owned retail or office spaces. All the residents pay a monthly fee, in addition to membership dues, to a homeowners’ association to cover shared costs, as is typical of a condominium arrangement.
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