Having recently finished a Masters Degree in International Development Management, I was quite frustrated that ‘development’ is still often viewed through the lens of pure economic growth and GDP. Sure, many countries still need to build stable economic progress but there are other indicators which are just as, or even more, important to consider in any type of development. These include sustainability and wellbeing. Urbanization and societal trends are in many ways shifting us away from attaining these. Hyper-individualization, isolating building design, and addiction to work and social media, are all feeding into loneliness becoming a public health pandemic. It has been shown that living in community with strong social bonds is an important factor in people’s happiness and wellbeing.
As the book Sapiens, explains, community bonds have also weakened over the past two centuries as the state and market have increasinly taken over the roles that communities once did (think welfare, education, insurance, bank, police, etc). The consumption-induced mindset of achieving status and belonging through the ownership of ‘stuff’ is also pushing us way beyond sustainable planetary boundaries.
Within this context, I have begun investigating alternative approaches to urban living and came across co-living as an emerging resurgence of community-oriented living based on sharing principles.
What exactly is co-living?
There are many definitions of co-living, but some general agreements on what is meant by the term exists:
- • it focuses on a genuine sense of community and is currently acting as a more community-oriented alternative to conventional serviced apartments.
- • it can enable sustainable lifestyles through the sharing and efficient use of resources and space. The sharing of major expenses and facilities also facilitates convenience for tenants and can make living more affordable.
- • it is generally for people seeking a community of like-minded individuals.
I in particular like the definition that Opendoor uses:
Coliving is a modern form of housing where residents share living space and a set of interests, values, and/or intentions. It’s a new take on an old idea, imagined by a millennial generation that values things like openness and collaboration, social networking, and the sharing economy.
Thus, some of the general values of co-living projects include:
- • openness
- • collaboration
- • social networking
- • convenience
- • community
- • sharing
- • efficiency
So how is it different from other types of community living?
Shared living is not a new concept. Indeed, as social beings, the human species developed out of community-based living. However, as there are many forms of shared living today, it may be helpful to clarify between them.
In communes, such as the kibbutz found in Israel, people share all their resources from food to land and furniture. Privacy and private property are practically non-existent.
Intentional communities and eco-villages: Both tend to be rural and land-based models of community living, with a strong focus on sustainable living. They are built by the community from the ground-up.
Co-housing: Originating in Denmark in the late ‘60s, co-housing is a specific type of intentional community typically consisting of separate private dwellings clustered around common areas (e.g. shared kitchen, dining area, laundry, garden, playground). Households have independent incomes and private lives, but neighbors collaboratively plan and manage community activities and shared spaces.
Co-op house: Co-ops are an outgrowth of the student cooperative movement, and are often found at or surrounding major colleges and universities. Culturally, they tend to be centered around socialist principles and political activism. Co-ops in many cases could be considered co-living, though they may not self-identify with the term.
What I like about the co-living model to creating community is that it maintains a sense of privacy while still encouraging the sharing of resources and space. In addition, having some of the foundational aspects and design in place for when residents move in helps avoid some of conflict-intensive processes that often occur in communities that build from the ground up.
There is a huge opportunity for creating well-designed co-living spaces that address the ills of modern urban life and that help us shift towards a more sustainable and wellbeing-enhancing lifestyle. Changing people’s behavior at an individual level is hard. However, people readily adopt the behavior of other people around them and are also likely to be ‘nudged’ into acting in ways that the default environment guides them towards. Thus, co-living spaces could – by default- be sourced by renewable energy and provided by local organic food without plastic packaging. Sharing of appliances, transport and other energy intensive means could help increase resource efficiency. In addition, a co-living space could encourage individual and community wellbeing through regular shared meals, and offering of wellbeing-inducing activities such as yoga or mindfulness sessions. I call this type of holistic co-living ‘conscious co-living.’
In a follow-up posts, I will discuss this idea more in depth, as well as share some of my initial findings from visits and interviews with current co-living projects.
I am also eager to dig into questions such as: To what extent does co-living “commodify community”? What are the trade-offs between a co-living space run by a service or management company vs a commuity-led co-living space which may require more effort by residents? And how to encourage diversity in co-living when intentions and values must be aligned?
What do you think? Any examples of these spaces in your area? Would love to hear about them!