Private units, like condominiums, apartments or houses, are built or refurbished for families. Each unit has a private kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, etc. Parking is skewed to the outer boundaries, sometimes placed underground, and pedestrian traffic is priority. It's like living in a house but sharing a yard. There is no shared economy.
All residents makes a living with their own job, their own form of enterprise.
Everyone pays their own bills, their own mortgage. But residents are required to manage the residence through monthly meetings and co-decision making. And in some groups, moving in is allowed only if the new residents are approved by the community. Hester is also the co-founder of Cohousing Consultants, a business specializing in Bay Area cohousing consultation, matching and location. But you have to have fairly social people and committed to the group process.