Our '08 Conference: The Overview

The 2008 Cohousing Conference “was a resounding success,” says Craig Ragland,
Coho/US executive director. “It was a wonderful gathering of cohousers and cohousing professionals who reported that they both enjoyed and benefited from our many programs and, most especially, the chance to network on the lovely Bentley College campus,” he said.
One participant said, “Anyone who has an interest in upgrading the way their life works should attend the conference. Even if cohousing isn’t the answer for you, you see people that are expressing their values in the way they live and it reminds us all that we can do that.” (Also see the video above right for other comments.)
About 280 people attended the full range of conference activities. The official three-day conference was preceded by two days of a dozen longer workshops devoted to topics such as a survey of legal issues and common house design. Three different tours visited cohousing communities in the surrounding area. In addition to the 53 conference workshops, other gatherings at the conference included plenary sessions, a Cohousing Film Fest, a Sunday afternoon open forum, open houses at two communities under construction in the area and a workshop for professionals.
The conference was also the occasion for several noteworthy announcements by Coho/US:

• The Members Area: A new section of the Cohousing.org website encourages online conversations around particular topics important to cohousers. More >
• Aging in community: A discussion is underway that would have the Elder Cohousing Network move to Cohousing.org. More >
• A new census of cohousing communities documented a dramatic growth in the number of built communities and revealed other details about the movement. The complete pdf file summarizing that research is available for download from the Research Topic Room within the Members Area (which requires registration). Learn More > Go to Research Topic Room >
• Community Grant: Coho/US will award a $2,500 grant to the cohousing community that proposes the best project plan for an improvement or improvements that others can emulate. More >
• 2009 Conference: Next year’s conference in Seattle marks a move to annual cohousing conferences. The 2009 National Cohousing Conference will be based at the University of Washington campus with an expanded offering of pre-conference workshops and tours followed by the main event. More >
• International Cohousing Conference: The conference will be preceded by the first International Cohousing Summit, an invitation-only event of cohousers from around the world. More >
• New Classifed Ad Options: The minimum cost to purchase a Classified Ad was reduced by 33% – and we added new options to increase your ad's exposure. New categories, including Cohousing Home Wanted. More >

Comments by participants emphasized the value of learning from the “movers and shakers” in the cohousing movement, but conference-goers often remarked on the friendly inclusivity of those they met and how cohousers seem to naturally demonstrate how “community” is practiced. The value of the preconference tours of Boston-area communities was another experience often mentioned. “I particularly heard appreciation expressed for the keynote address by John Abrams and the tremendous variety of the experiences that we offered,” Craig said.

Just as noteworthy is the tremendous effort made by countless volunteers who created the conference. An attempt has been made to count the countless as shown at the bottom of the page. Please let us know of names that should have been mentioned.

What's next? Craig said, “The 2008 Boston Conference was the first heartbeat in our new Rhythm of the Cohousing Movement, with annual conferences all around the United States. We will vary locations so cohousers from different areas can participate more easily. Our next heartbeat is the 2009 National Conference in Seattle, which will feature a first-ever International Cohousing Summit, currently being planned by a collaboration of the UK Cohousing Network, the Canadian Cohousing Network and Coho/US. Exciting times are ahead for the cohousing movement as we weave a rich tapestry of cohousing goodness.”
Again, to see the arrays of photos from the conference, click on any of the links that follow:

• The complete list of photo pages
• The bus tours
• The plenary sessions
• The workshops
• The sinner and auction.