Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: when all our men are dead and gone

[Kay Argyle (kay.argyle]

> It concerns me that communities that started out intergenerational will
> turn into de facto Elder Cohousing as homes are resold ....

It is stability, not resales, that creates the common phenomenon of most
houses on a block being occupied by elderly widows.  It's the communities
with extremely low turnover rates that need to worry about this.

Given the time commitment required, it is hardly surprising that cohousing
groups during planning and construction are often skewed towards older
people or childless singles.  From what I hear, however, our experience was
typical: The demographics of the group changed as we approached move-in,
with more young families joining. 

This shift has even continued after move-in.  At Wasatch Commons, despite
those original residents still here being eight years older, I suspect the
average age is close to what it was at move-in, since new households are
often younger than the households they replaced.

Kay