This is an umbrella term for people who live in physical proximity and share values. Note that a tribal village and a buddhist ashram both fit the definition but probably don’t use the term. It was first coined in the late 1940’s with the advent of the Fellowship of Intentional Communities, which today operates as the Foundation for Intentional Community.

HOW TO JOIN: The process varies significantly, from starting a “forming group” to applying for a spot or buying in to an existing community. Many intentional community listings on the FIC website linked above, and communities on other listing sites linked below, will provide basic information about how to join, or how to find out more about the joining process

The most common form of intentional community in the United States. Cohousers desire to have relationships with their neighbors. The model consists of 20-40 households, each owning its own (often small) complete house, in addition to sharing amenities like a common house with a large kitchen and dining area, guest rooms, indoor and outdoor recreational spaces, and sharing items like shop and garden tools. Community members have independent incomes and private lives, but neighbors come together to participate in activities such as weekly shared meals, and to manage shared spaces.

HOW TO JOIN:
1. Start or join a forming group. This is a group in the early stages of putting together a cohousing community. It may not have land yet.
2. “Pre-buy” a house in community that is about to start construction or that is currently under construction. That is, put in a down-payment and get a house in a new community when construction is complete.
3. Buy a house that is for sale in an existing community. Cohousing communities are usually very stable with low turnover, but looking at listings on various cohousing association websites (several linked below).
4. Although the structure is ownership-based, communities often have policies for short term or in-home rentals. Look for rental housing in cohousing communities. Often advertised on the cohousing listerv.

The Cohousing Association of the United States: CohoUS maintains a directory of listings for forming and existing cohousing in the United States.

The Canadian Cohousing Network has a similar directory of listings for Canada.

Both IC.org and ecovillage.org allow searching the term “cohousing” to look for more international options.

An ecovillage is a community with sustainability goals, so many types of communities can be ecovillages, including urban farming communities and tribal villages. Ecovillages vary significantly in size, scale, and ambition.

The global Ecovillage Network is the largest organization and database supporting the development of ecovillages.

HOW TO JOIN: The process varies significantly, but listings on the link above will help identify if a community is open to new members, and both listings and websites for communities will help provide guidance on the process to join.

These are communities aimed at sharing (almost) all resources. Sometimes there is no personal ownership of earthly possessions; sometimes ownership rights are limited and/or assets are frozen while you are a member of the community. The community often operates a business (or businesses) to generate income that is then shared by the members of the community.

HOW TO JOIN: Generally requires a high level of commitment, since the community shares all or almost everything. Check out each community’s website or listings on other websites (like ic.org or thefec.org) for information about joining.

The Federation for Egalitarian Communities encompasses some of these communities, in tiers based on their level of commitment to egalitarian principles.

The Kibbutz is a historic form of Jewish agricultural (and later, industrial) income- and resource-sharing village that originated in Palestine in the early 20th century. There are more than 250 kibbutzim in Israel.

The term co-op can refer to a form of intentional, shared living arrangement, but also a legal structure.

Shared living co-op: has significant overlap with the term “co-living.” Frequently found on or near college campuses. Residents have a private or semi-private room and share significant facilities including (often) bathrooms and kitchens. There are often organized house meals. In the rental model, there is a landlord that owns the building – it could be a college, a private owner, or a nonprofit – and residents pay rent, although usually at a significantly reduced rate compared to a traditional apartment, given that most space is shared. In an ownership-based co-op, residents purchase a “share” of the building, entitling them to some amount of private space, as well as the use of the shared spaces.

Legal co-op: [American only] When you own a portion of a building, there are two ways to do it. Either you own a specific physical space within that building, as well as rights to use common spaces (this is called a condominium) or you own a share of the building as a whole, and the right to use spaces within that building, whether privately/exclusively (like your apartment) or jointly (this is called a co-op). This allows for the ownership structure of shared living spaces as outlined above, but it also provides an alternative ownership structure for what otherwise looks just like a condominium with no community component.

In Canada, a co-op is still different: it was a form of government subsidized housing that allowed low- to moderate- income folks to live “at cost.” The Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada has a directory and lots of information to help you find housing if you qualify.

HOW TO JOIN: Search local sources that publish listings for rental housing (like Craigslist) for the term “co-op.” They are far more common in some places than others. Googling “co-op” broadly results in information about how to purchase the co-op-form of an apartment/condominium.

NASCO, the North American Students for Cooperation group can help you find or build a co-op.

Probably the newest term on this list, overlapping in concept with the term “co-op.” At its core this is a short- to medium-term rental housing option with a social component, wherein you have a private or semi-private room and shared common spaces for bathing, cooking, and recreation. Sometimes referred to as “dorms for adults.”

HOW TO JOIN: This is a fairly popular business model, and co-living buildings can be found in most major cities. Search your city and the term “co-living” and see what comes up!

Coliving.com is a listing service/marketplace to help you find coliving spaces
Common.com manages and develops coliving spaces in many cities and provides an online platform to help you find units in their portfolio
Peter Fabor has a guide to how to start your own co-living business

Growing in popularity, these are usually places that allow you to park your tiny home (that you own or rent) for a rental fee.

Choosetiny.com offers a search directory of tiny house villages, mostly in North America.

While this term could be applied to cohousing or any other form of community where residents own their dwellings, in this case it refers specifically to communities of prefabricated or mobile homes that are purchased by residents by organizing, mobilizing, and and purchasing the land the homes sit on so that it becomes a resident-owned co-operative.

ROCUSA is organization that teaches more about the movement, and how to become one.

A senior-focused movement founded in 2001 in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, the concept of a Village is as simple as “neighbors caring for neighbors,” and is structured as a neighborhood-based membership organization. There are about 250 Villages in 50 metropolitan areas across the United States, with particular prevalence in the Boston-DC corridor and along the west coast. This model functions best in more densely populated areas, where there are more opportunities for people to be physically near one another.

The Village-to-Village Network is a national organization that helps communities establish and sustain individual Villages.