Today, single-person households account for 28 percent of American households, an increase from 13 percent in 1960. But is that trend about to reverse course? Is there a move toward communal living, or cohousing?
Cohousing, in which a large community lives together and shares household duties, is gaining popularity, says a recent article in The Atlantic. The Fellowship for Intentional Community, a cohousing promoter, counts 1,539 cohousing communities in the United States, and many others form without the groups knowledge.
Developers are getting in on the trend. Commonspace designs and manages apartments in downtown Syracuse, New York. The community has 21 units, one of which is occupied by a community manager, and the residents share common living areas. The company is exploring moving into other midsize cities.