For many people another way of living starts with this book...
So you’re fed up with living in a little box. Maybe just by yourself. Maybe with your family. Just being a docile consumer alongside the billions of other docile consumers. And the combined outcome of it all is a wrecked planet.
Isn’t there something more to life than this? Couldn’t we have access to many of the best things in life without doing such harm if we were prepared to share more with our neighbours? Perhaps in an intentional community – that’s a community that has come together by intention rather than by chance.
Believe it or not, many people have been living in intentional communities like this for decades. And it’s not all hippy crash pads where nobody does the washing up! This website will open your eyes to the multifarious ways in which communal living happens in the 21st century.
It’s your way into the future!
The 12th edition of our legendary book is available from the D&D Shop
196 pages packed with articles, photo-essays, ruminations and a directory of intentional communities in Britain
If you weren’t able to make it to the 2025 UK Communities Conference this video will give you an opportunity to see what you missed!
Hear how Paul Sedgwick first encountered communal living at the age of three. And how he’s still enthusiastic about it more than six decades later!
“… it shows how this community-oriented housing model continues to attract interest from people looking for housing alternatives better attuned to the needs of contemporary life.”
Kathryn McCamant, President of US consultancy “CoHousing Solutions”
So much has happened in the world of Cohousing in the UK during the last decade that we’ve decided to publish a second volume of our Review!
Take a look at what’s inside:
• Updating the Cohousing scene in the UK
• Dynamics of ‘intentional neighbourhoods’
• It’s all about the process
• In Conversation with Chuck Durrett
• What Happens After You Move In?
• Building a Diverse Cohousing Community
• Wellbeing and mutual support
• GraceWorks Gardens, Nottinghamshire
• Cannock Mill Cohousing Colchester
• Senior Cohousing
• Setting up On the Brink
• RUSS, Church Grove, Lewisham
• Finding Land for Cohousing Projects
• Mutual Home Ownership
• Financing Cohousing Development
• Funding our Common House
• Housing Associations and Developers
• Is Cohousing sustainable in the UK?
• UK Cohousing Network
• Resources
One thing that we really want you to know:
There are many different ways to live communally
Cohousing Community
Living fairly separately but with the possibility of sharing a lot of facilities. The best of both worlds perhaps!
Big House Commune
This is the classic idea of the commune in a big mansion in the country. Here are some places that fit that mould.
Urban Communal
These housing co-ops and big shared houses in built up areas show that not every commune has to be rural!
Spiritual Community
Having a focus often helps. These places all have some spiritual or religious belief that underlies their existence.
Low Impact Community
Many aspire to low impact living but these places go all the way with off-grid, low consumption lifestyles.
Want more Detail?
The D&D Reviews shown above are more specialised books about particular types of community
Currently seeking... communards
Check out these noticeboards for communities that like to host volunteers as well as those that are currently looking for people to join.
Volunteering and WWOOFing are amongst the best ways to to try communal living out for yourself. Once you’ve decided that you really want to go for it then Places needing Members is the next stop.
Communities that welcome volunteers, some on a short term, some on a long term basis.
Communities that are looking for permanent new members or else are creating a waiting list.
So you want to start or join a forming community?
Don't underestimate the scale of the task! Maybe follow up some of these links...
This noticeboard is for Developing Groups that are fairly well established – they may even have a building or a site lined up.
People Forming a Group is our noticeboard for those at the very early stages whereas Developing Groups are usually quite a bit further down the road.
Properties might suit Communities is where people who are trying to sell or make people aware of a particular vacant property can place a message.
And don't forget our other Noticeboards...
A place where people can advertise themselves as potential communards.
The noticeboard for just about any other message that might be of interest to a Diggers & Dreamers audience!
Ghosts of Communes Past
What was that about people who haven't learned from history being doomed to repeat it?
And finally... are you up-to-date with Chris's Blog?
