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This is Cohousing: The Cohousing Podcast

This is Cohousing: The Cohousing Podcast

The Cohousing Company 10 Episodes Aug 18, 2026

This is Cohousing: The Cohousing Podcast, from The Cohousing Company and hosted by architect, author, and cohousing pioneer Charles Durrett. For nearly 40 years, Charles has explored how design and community can help us live more sustainably, affordably, and connected to one another. Through conversations with residents, organizers, architects, and developers, this podcast explores the ideas, history, and real-world practice of cohousing—and how better neighborhoods can create a better future.

Episodes

This is Cohousing | Ep 14 | The Antidote to Isolation with Dr. Richard Louis Miller
This is Cohousing | Ep 14 | The Antidote to Isolation with Dr. Richard Louis Miller Aug 18, 2026 00:40:17 What makes us feel like we belong? Psychologist, author, and podcast host Dr. Richard Louis Miller joins Charles Durrett to make the case that connection isn't a luxury — it's a biological need we've engineered out of modern life, and one that cohousing is uniquely built to restore.Dr. Miller traces how architecture, economics, and the pandemic have manufactured isolation and offers sm
This is Cohousing | Ep 13 | Bridging the Cultural Divide through Cohousing with Alan O'Hashi
This is Cohousing | Ep 13 | Bridging the Cultural Divide through Cohousing with Alan O'Hashi Aug 17, 2026 00:30:10 Can cohousing do what so much of American life can't — bring genuinely different people together?In this episode, host Charles Durrett sits down with Alan O'Hashi, a longtime resident of Silver Sage Cohousing in Boulder, Colorado — one of the first senior cohousing communities in the country — and author of Aging Gratefully in Good Company. Charles was the original schematic architect for
This is Cohousing | Ep 12 | Getting Your Cohousing Community Approved with Marty Maskall
This is Cohousing | Ep 12 | Getting Your Cohousing Community Approved with Marty Maskall Jul 28, 2026 00:30:08 Hear from the project manager who "project managed a project into existence."In this episode, Charles talks with tenacious project manager, Marty Maskall about what it actually takes to get a cohousing project approved. Together they discuss preparing for the obstacles, the hardships of the zoning process, how to win over the neighbors, the city, and the county. Learn when to fight the b
This is Cohousing | Ep 11 | The Anthropology of Culture Change & Cooperation with Richard Senghas
This is Cohousing | Ep 11 | The Anthropology of Culture Change & Cooperation with Richard Senghas Jul 13, 2026 00:50:48 Join Charles Durrett on This is Cohousing as he sits downwith anthropologist Richard Senghas. Together they explore what appliedanthropology can teach us about building community — and about changing cultureitself. Richard has lived in cohousing for 25 years and helped start two communities, including the exceptional FrogSong in Cotati, California. Drawing on his background studying how humans use
This is Cohousing | Ep 10 | Rebooting Community: From Conflict to Connection with Julia Jongkind
This is Cohousing | Ep 10 | Rebooting Community: From Conflict to Connection with Julia Jongkind Jun 29, 2026 00:45:00 What does it take for a cohousing community to function at its fullest potential? In this episode, Charles Durrett sits down with educational learning consultant and facilitator Julia Jongkind, who has spent two decades living in cohousing, helping struggling communities find their footing again. Drawing from her experience rebooting three different communities, Julia shares the surprisingly simpl
This is Cohousing | Ep 9 | From Me to We: The Philosophy of Living in Community with Carl Hall
This is Cohousing | Ep 9 | From Me to We: The Philosophy of Living in Community with Carl Hall Jun 17, 2026 00:41:17 What can a philosophy professor teach us after two decades of living in community? In this episode of This Is Cohousing, Charles Durrett sits down with Carl Hall — resident of Nevada City Cohousing and professor of philosophy for 34 years. Carl reflects on the journey of how an avowed introvert came to find social heaven among 34 households, why cooperation deserves the benefit of the doubt, and h
This is Cohousing | Ep 8 | Out of Denial, Into Community: Quimper Village with Carolyn & Jack Salmon
This is Cohousing | Ep 8 | Out of Denial, Into Community: Quimper Village with Carolyn & Jack Salmon Jun 10, 2026 00:35:24 Quimper Village is about as elegant as the cohousing process gets. In this episode, host Charles Durrett sits down with founding members Carolyn and Jack Salmon to unpack how their senior cohousing community on Washington's Olympic Peninsula went from a church meeting to a finished neighborhood with 28 homes in just three years.They talk about getting out of denial about aging, the "no gr
This is Cohousing | Ep 7 | Different, Not Less: Neuro-Inclusive Living with Desiree Kameka Galloway
This is Cohousing | Ep 7 | Different, Not Less: Neuro-Inclusive Living with Desiree Kameka Galloway Jun 2, 2026 00:47:25 What happens to adults with autism when their parents can no longer care for them? It's one of the most urgent and overlooked housing crises of our time — and intentional community may be one of the most powerful answers. In this episode, host Charles Durrett sits down with Desiree Kameka Galloway, Director of the Autism Housing Network and lead consultant for neuro-inclusive housing solutions
This is Cohousing | Ep 6 | How Common Meals Nourish Cohousing with Vesanto Melina
This is Cohousing | Ep 6 | How Common Meals Nourish Cohousing with Vesanto Melina May 26, 2026 00:43:06 What if the secret to a thriving neighborhood was as simple as sharing a meal? In this episode, Charles sits down with Vesanto Melina — registered dietitian, author of over 15 books, and resident of Vancouver Cohousing — to explore how common meals bring cohousing communities to life.From signup spreadsheets and cooking trios to rooftop gardens and $5 dinners, Vesanto and Charles dig into the prac
This is Cohousing | Ep 5 | Aging with Pride: Redefining Home for LGBTQ+ Elders with Margaret Roesch
This is Cohousing | Ep 5 | Aging with Pride: Redefining Home for LGBTQ+ Elders with Margaret Roesch Apr 21, 2026 00:36:45 In this episode, Charles Durrett sits down with Margaret Roesch, co-founder of Village Hearth Cohousing in Durham, North Carolina—the first LGBTQ+ cohousing community in the United States.What began as a response to the fear of isolation in later life became a bold, community-driven journey in living differently. Margaret shares how she and her partner Pat McAulay helped bring Village Hearth to li
This is Cohousing | Ep 4 | From Asphalt to Village: Reimagining the Modern Campus with Gary Morrison
This is Cohousing | Ep 4 | From Asphalt to Village: Reimagining the Modern Campus with Gary Morrison Apr 3, 2026 00:42:39 In this episode, we explore a bold rethinking of the modern campus—moving from isolated, car-dominated environments to vibrant, community-centered villages.What if campuses weren’t just places people pass through, but places they truly belong? What if housing, social life, and daily needs were woven together into a walkable, intergenerational fabric?Drawing from real projects and decades of experi
This is Cohousing | Ep 3 | From Home Builder to Community Maker
This is Cohousing | Ep 3 | From Home Builder to Community Maker Mar 27, 2026 00:32:12 In this episode of the cohousing podcast, Charles Durrett sits down with Alan Carpenter, co-creator and co-director of the Canadian Cohousing Network. Together they explore the evolution and impact of cohousing in Canada and beyond.Alan shares his personal journey from building single-family homes to dedicating his life to creating intentional communities—sparked by a desire for deeper connection

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