A community that lives in a resourcefully small area, having separate homes but shared facilities such as common living, dining, and laundry rooms. Cohousing attempts to form as ecologically stable a system as possible.

Cohousing communities are small-scaled, intentional communities where each family owns its own home, but some facilities and resources are shared. The development process is usually driven by future residents, not a developer. Benefits include a collaborative approach to community decision-making, a meaningful sense of community, and cost savings through shared resources. Co-housing neighborhoods tend to offer environmentally sensitive design with a pedestrian orientation. They typically range from 10-35 households emphasizing a multi-generational mix of singles, couples, families with children, and elders. Cohousing is a concept that came to North America in 1988 from Denmark where it emerged over 25 years ago. Co-housing communities have been successfully developed in both rural and urban settings in Europe, the United States and Canada.

A cohousing community is a kind of intentional community composed of private homes with full kitchens, supplemented by extensive common facilities. A cohousing community is planned, owned and managed by the residents, groups of people who want more interaction with their neighbours. Common facilities vary but usually include a large kitchen and dining room where residents can take turns cooking for the community.