SU REACTS | Democratizing Development
SU REACTS | Democratizing Development
Cohousing promotes inclusivity, but what if we saw more mission-based housing solutions?
Written By Zoe Tishaev
The UNC Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health, in partnership with XDS (Cross Disability Services, Inc.)—a nonprofit that works with people who have mental health disorders—is launching a new affordable housing option in Chatham County focused on providing homes “for people with mental illness and other health conditions living on a fixed income.” The Tiny Homes Village will be comprised of 15 homes of 400 square feet, each rented out to tenants below market value. The design of the community is informed by housing and mental illness research—with all of the homes being specifically oriented in a way that will afford extra privacy to residents.
Such themed housing projects are not new. Cohousing, or any type of housing development that revolves around a shared space with the intention of creating a shared community, originated in Denmark in the 1960s. The premise came to the United States in the ’90s and has spread around the country ever since. The Cohousing Association of the US defines its vision in terms of shifting “the culture toward a new American dream where every home is surrounded by caring, collaborative neighbors who use less of the earth’s resources while living an abundant life.”
There are hundreds of cohousing developments across the country, in nearly every metropolitan area, including across the deep South. Most of them aim at fostering a collective identity in the development. Some, like the Tiny Homes Village in Chatham or Housing Options for People with Exceptionalities in Durham, have a narrower focus, like providing a safe, welcoming, and affordable living space for people with mental health conditions.
Expansion of cohousing gives people more options for where to live. By encouraging connection with neighbors around common spaces and through sharing resources, cohousing communities facilitate lower energy usage, promote greater community, and create walkable spaces for people who may have difficulty accessing them otherwise. Cohousing also curbs aimless suburban sprawl and instead encourages smaller developments with shared amenities connected to a broader urban fabric.
Cohousing is a great path to mission-based living, filling in the gaps for folks who want a sense of community in residency. But this is just the start: What if all mission-based organizations serving in-need populations were able to create housing for the groups that they serve? Right now, that seems outside of the realm of possibility. We’ve long been conditioned to view developers only as developers, assuming it would be too much to ask of nonprofits to become developers too. That wasn’t always the case. Small businesses used to erect their own small buildings, often with living space above. If we can restore the ability of the small business to participate in building the city again, we also unlock that ability for mission-based organizations. Can we imagine a world where more nonprofits were developers too? At Southern Urbanism, we continue to explore the challenges to development, and the small steps we can take to change the urban landscape. Read about the small-scale developments that can change urban landscapes in our piece on small-town walkability here.
Zoe Tishaev is the Spring 2023 Duke Initiative for Urban Studies Fellow on Transportation Alternatives and University Development.