The Architect Who Proved Community Cures Loneliness

They Feed 30 People for $90 (How Cohousing Actually Works) Architect Charles Durrett reveals the economics and social dynamics of cohousing communities, plus Iceland's revolutionary approach to neurodiverse living where autism isn't a limitation but simply a different way of being. Guest: Charles Durrett - Principal architect at The Cohousing Company, coined the term "cohousing" in 1985, designed 55+ communities, author of 16 books on community design Topics Discussed: How cohousing communities feed 30 people for $90 Why 34 houses share one lawnmower (and it works) The first U.S. cohousing community 35 years later Iceland's Sólheimar: 45 neurodiverse, 45 neurotypical residents Why people with autism drown at 166x the normal rate "Smiles per half hour" as a community metric Breaking bread 4-5 times weekly builds community From isolation to internationally selling artist Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction - Encouraging community for 20 years 00:59 Meet Charles Durrett - Pioneer of cohousing 01:40 The first U.S. cohousing community in Davis 02:36 What is cohousing? Six defining principles 05:00 No hierarchy, all consensus 07:28 Book came out 1988, coined "cohousing" 08:37 35 years later - how is that first community? 10:47 Copenhagen study: Majority of seniors want cohousing 13:45 Personal meetings and interpersonal sharing 15:28 Common dinners 4-5 times weekly 16:26 Cooking rotation - once a month for 20-30 people 17:10 How they feed 30 for $90 20:12 What is a neuro-inclusive community? 23:13 90 people total at Sólheimar 24:02 Started in 1930, Chuck wrote the book 26:04 "Smiles per half hour" metric 29:02 Artists who knew nothing become internationally known 32:13 Financial model for neurodiverse communities 35:12 Why they bought their own swimming pool 38:07 Final thoughts - self-determination is key 41:12 Learning to interview people with autism Resources: Website: cohousingco.com Book: Neuro-Inclusive Community Design This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mindbodyhealthpolitics.org/subscribe