This note was reviewed in October 2018 and retained for legacy.
Co-housing has proven to be a successful and influential housing type. The reasons for its success also highlight the limits of its appeal, however, and some of the obstacles to its more widespread application. There are few co-housing schemes in Australia, not least because of these obstacles. In this paper, a simpler way to co-housing is identified, described as ‘found co-housing’. Co-housing is only one of a variety of ways of achieving the broad aim of more socially and environmentally sustainable neighbourhoods. The paper samples some of these ways in the Australian context, from eco-villages to community development initiatives, and comparisons are drawn with co-housing. This paper is a companion paper to: Co-housing – an introduction to a residential alternative.