Cohousing-L Mailing List: press release for new Coho Netwk

[Marci Malinowycz (SoDance]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:        Kay Abrahams
                                (303) 554-1799



FIRST UMBRELLA COHOUSING ORGANIZATION FORMED AT NORTH AMERICAN CONFERENCE IN 
SEATTLE


SEATTLE, WA; September 21, 1997 -- Members of the cohousing movement announced 
today that consensus has been reached for the formation of a North American 
organization to be called The Cohousing Network. Among the stated purposes of 
the new organization is: "...to support individuals and groups who seek to 
create cohousing neighborhoods..." and to serve as "...a tool to communicate 
the philosophy of cohousing, and facilitate access to information and 
resources about cohousing."
        The announcement was made at the third North American Cohousing 
Conference 
held Sept. 19-21, 1997, at the University of Washington in Seattle. The new 
group will be the result of a merger between the non-profit Rocky Mountain 
CoHousing Association (RMCA) based in Colorado, and several North American 
cohousing activities, including CoHousing: The Journal of the CoHousing 
Network, a quarterly publication that supplies news from eight regional 
editors in the U.S. and Canada.
        Existing activities that will take place under the new non-profit 
central 
organization will include: a website (www.cohousing.org), a subscriber-only 
e-mail list serve (cohousing-l), and upcoming cohousing conferences. Future 
projects being discussed by the transition planning team include a centralized 
telephone number, a North American speakers bureau, a central repository for 
resources and information, and a designated media contact.
        Cohousing, a housing concept of resident-created neighborhoods that is 
widely 
used in Europe, was first brought to the U.S. in 1988 with the publication of 
Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves by Kathryn McCamant 
and Charles Durrett, a husband and wife architectural design team based in 
Berkeley, CA. Muir Commons, the first U.S. cohousing community, was built in 
Davis, CA, in 1990. Today, there are 28 completed communities, 46 under 
construction, and over 150 groups in varying stages of the development 
process. Cohousing is increasingly becoming a mainstream housing option and is 
receiving more and more attention from development professionals and the 
national press.
#  #  #