Designing Cohousing Environments for Older Adults

Senior cohousing is an intentional community committed to establishing a balance between private and communal life by individuals living in their own residences while sharing and managing common amenities in the community. Senior cohousing not only considers the physiological and safety needs as the basic needs of older adults, but it also addresses the belonging and esteem needs that help older adults achieve their full potential for self-actualization. Senior cohousing shares six components regardless of the location: participatory design process, deliberate neighborhood design, extensive common facilities, complete resident management, non-hierarchal structure, and separate income sources. Senior cohousing includes design features that promote five dimensions of place attachment place dependence, place identity, friend bonding, family bonding, and nature bonding throughout private homes, a common house, common outdoors, and other facilities in the community.