<< The thing I love most about WindSong [cohousing] is that it takes forty minutes to take out the garbage. There’s always someone to talk to.

And the thing I also dislike about WindSong is that it sometimes can take forty minutes to take out the garbage. When I have to run off, I have to miss something. >>

Resident of cohousing Windsong, CA (in: ‘Creating Cohousing, Building Sustainable Communities’, by Kathryn McCamant & Charles Durrett, 2011)

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<< Je suis intermittente, Je pars des fois en tournée sur plu­sieurs jours et je sais que mon fils a été dormir chez des voi­sins régulièrement. Je dis aux gens de garder un oeil sur lui. Et puis il va manger chez les autres le soir et il revient. Et ça, je ne pourrais pas le faire ailleurs, donc je me dis que la vie devrait être comme ça naturellement. C’est important l’intimité et le chacun chez soi ; mais j’ai envie de vivre, et de faire des rencontres et avoir des points d’entraide ; parce que je ne pense pas qu’on soit fait pour vivre tout seul. >>

habitant d’un habitat participatif (dans: ‘Abécédaire de l’habitat participatif’, Éco Habitat Groupé, 2014)

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<< I had an impression that people of the Western world are more individualistic and less cooperative. I found that EcoVillage people are friendly and cooperative with each other and live in harmony. Every house is accessible for all villagers and you share cooperatively (for example, some cars are for everyone’s use).

Another exciting thing for me at EcoVillage is the common kitchen. It was like a big family kitchen with everyone eating in one place as they do in rural Nepal; the only difference was the facility. In Nepal we sit on the dusty floor and eat with our hands. In EcoVillage the kitchen was clean and beautiful with nice furniture and utensils. The similarities between EcoVillage and a Tamang village include vegetable farming, animal-keeping, living cooperatively, celebrating festival(s) and holidays, and sharing the pains and joys of life together with families next door. >>

Rana, director of Educate the Children, Nepal (in: ‘Ecovillage at Ithaca, Pioneering a Sustainable Culture, by Liz Walker, US, 2005)

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<< Mijn buren helpen, inspireren, koken, spelen muziek, geven feestjes, vragen hoe het met mij gaat, maken mijn tuin mooi, willen soms vergaderen als ik geen zin heb, kuisen mijn auto, laten mij gerust, voetballen met mij, irriteren af en toe, verkopen limonade aan mijn deur en gaan mee klimmen. >>

Gust, bewoner van Cohousing Vinderhoute, B (in: ‘Getuigenissen: Leven in cohousing? super!’, website Cohousing Vinderhoute, 2016)

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<< What one of my neighbors calls the “hard” advantages of Terra Firma [cohousing] are numerous. There is a beautiful shared backyard and facilities include a hot tub,a sauna, a beautiful and enormous garden, a set of swings, a tiny little pond, and a tree house.

What we like to think of as the “soft” advantages of Terra Firma have to do with both practicality and connection. It is easy to find someone to collect your mail or put out your recycling. We have a listserv where we ask each for everything from a ride to the airport to the name of a good plumber. I love living in an intergenerational community where I can talk about music and math with neighbors in their 70s or how to best kick a soccer ball with a neighbor under 10. >>

Shoshana Magnet, associate professor at the Institute of Feminist and Gender Studies at the University of Ottawa, resident of Terra Firma Cohousing, CA (in: ‘Terra Firma: A Single Mother Discovers Community’, Communities Magazine, 2017)

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<< Il faut définir ce qu’on appelle vie commune. Ça a passable­ment évolué au fil du temps. Quand on est arrivés, on était tous avec des enfants en bas âges, la vie commune s’est beaucoup organisée autour des enfants.

Maintenant les occasions de rencontres sont plus au travers des travaux communs. Les gens ont pris de l’âge, les enfants ne sont plus le facteur de lien qu’ils étaient. Il y a eu des évolutions familiales. La vie commune s’est un peu réduite. >>

habitant d’un habitat participatif, F (dans: ‘Abécédaire de l’habitat participatif’, Éco Habitat Groupé, 2014)