Cohabitat is the first cohousing cooperative in Quebec, located in the Saint Sacrement district of Quebec City.
This cohousing consists of 60 adults and 40 children. The project started in 2004 and has had inhabitants since June 2013. The project was initiated in 2004 by Michel Desgagnés. He was very determined and from the start wanted the project to be based on NVC (Non-Violent Communication) and sociocracy.
Read the full case study if you are interested in learning about:
- Starting and establishing an intentional community using sociocracy
- Learning from their experiences and challenges from the start of the project
- Learn more about ther governance system on their website.
The members of Cohabitat gave a really strong recommendation for using sociocracy as a whole, and not bargaining parts of it. Also to do what it takes to make sure all members are properly trained.
For a cohousing group, it is a winning strategy to invest in social technology and implement a new culture of collaboration.
They agree that at first decisions will take a long time and seem complicated. But once decisions are made, it goes blazing fast since everyone has assimilated the decision. Also, decisions benefit from the reflection of many people which enables us to take difficult decisions in a reasonable, responsible, and peaceful way. This also creates confidence and trust in the group; you can trust the other circles.
This case study was written by Damien Douté for the Sociocracy Leadership Training in 2017.
