cohousing

The term "cohousing" and the theory behind this living solution are pretty new. Their origin has to be found in Denmark around 1960 «among groups of families who were dissatisfied with exi-sting housing and communities that they felt did not meet their needs.»²¹⁸

Generally, cohousing «are housing complexes consisting of private dwellings accompanied by large common areas intended for sharing betwe-en the cohousers. Living in cohousing means li-ving according to a qualitative lifestyle, in balan-ce between the autonomy of the private house and the sociality of the common spaces, within places co-designed by and with the people who will live there. They are apolitical, nonpartisan ag-gregations, not united by religious or ideological beliefs.»²¹⁹ (fig. 24, 25)

This practice is becoming more and more com-mon acom-mong young people (not necessarily ho-meless), especially those who want a sustainable and communitarian way of life when moving, tra-velling or working. Cohousing has, indeed, a very strong community-led characterization, and its

218. Wikipedia, Cohousing, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cohousing#cite_

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219. cohousing.it, What is Cohousing, http://www.cohousing.it/capire-il-cohou-sing/ (translation from italian by the author)

ning activities and workshops can be hosted by the building;

3. community living. The share of values, ideas and help stands at the base of this housing so-lution.

Like condominia, the ownership is usually entru-sted to one homeowner who rents out the apart-ments.

Like other housing solution, it is necessary to analyze cohousing through various aspects.

AFFORDABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY

Like normal apartments, cohousing is based on monthly rents. In general, fees include bills and the use of common spaces and the amount spent for a room is lower, of course, than one for an apartment, but it is still similar (even if not sli-ghtly higher) than a normal room on the market.

Unlike other housing options cohousing does not foresee subsidization and, as a consequence, the access is limited to those who are able to pay.

SUSTAINABILITY

As a residential building, structural sustainaility is determined by local policies. In this case, thou-gh, Architecture plays an important role: since cohousing complexes are usually all made from principles can be summed in a few simple points:

1. partecipatory design. Cohousing involves its fu-ture inhabitants even into the design process, so that the final product could meet everyone’s spe-cific needs at its best. Doing so, there is a secon-dary goal, i.e. the one of forming strong relation-ships among cohousers;

2. shared spaces. With respect of personal privacy (each individual is provided with a private basic room), it is possible to share several services and spaces, with the aim of promoting a wide social network and costs savings. Sometimes, also

trai-FIG. 25 | Common area on the top of the roof

Photo Credit: Alexis Dornier via Dezeen (https://www.dezeen.com/2016/06/09/

alexis-dornier-architecture-roam-co-living-housing-residential-complex-bali-indone-sia-communal-roof/)

3. the value of the home 107

as a transitional solution with a higher chance of granting longer tenancies.

FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT

Wherever housing is built, the great sense of com-munity developed among inhabitants has the ul-timate goal of creating a safe and collaborative environment, both in urban and suburban situa-tions. At the beginning of the chapter, indeed, it has been clarified how important is for people to feel free of threats in the area of residency.

LACK OF SUPPORT

Unfortunely, economical and healthcare support provision is not foreseen in the programme, but it is bound to the location of the building (presen-ce of urban servi(presen-ces in the surroundings). Work-shops and activities are scheduled but their tar-get is the entire community, not the single person.

TRACEABILITY

People living in cohousing structures are all regi-stered under a contract and therefore visible to the government.

skretch, the use of sustainable materials and te-chniques may help to reduce construction, main-tainence and management costs and maximize energy use efficiency. One of the principles adop-ted is, indeed, the one of being eco-friendly.

Sustainability is, in part, achieved also trhough the flexibility of the design. Becuase each com-munity is planned in its context, the need and the values of residents must reflect the characteriscs of the site.²²⁰

SECURITY AND SAFETY

Despite the large number of common spaces, cohousing is about private accommodations, so users can spend a balanced life alternating com-munity life and privacy. For the same reason, also physical and mental integrity can be preserved.

There are no fixed dimensions for what concerns the size of apartments, but each of them hosts atleast a bed, a kitchen and a small living room.

Usually, bathrooms, common kitchens and com-mon rooms are separated, but it may vary case by case. This kind of configuration establishes itself

220. Wikipedia, Cohousing, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cohousing#cite_

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3. the value of the home 108

FIG. 26 | The Collective Old Oak cohousing in London (building)

Photo Credit: (edit of) The Collective (http://www.plparchitecture.com/the-collecti-ve-old-oak.html)

FIG. 28 | The Collective Old Oak cohousing in London (coworking space) Photo Credit: The Collective (http://www.plparchitecture.com/the-collective-old-oak.

html)

FIG. 27 | The Collective Old Oak cohousing in London (studio room)

Photo Credit: The Collective (http://www.plparchitecture.com/the-collective-old-oak.

html)

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seem to be one of the best solutions not only be-cause they offer apartments at a lower price, but also because the way they are structured helps people to interact with each other and enhance their social cohesion. This practice is widespread across Europe and it is being slowly included in most of countries’ national strategies.

Actually, there is no official definition of Social Housing in Europe, since every Member State gi-ves it different connotations according to how According to Housing Europe’s report on the state

of housing in 2017, «Growth has returned to our continent»²²¹ but not without leaving serious ine-qualities which still have great impact on society, especially in the housing sector. With cuts in the salary for workers and the rise of prices of houses in the market (fig. 29), finding affordable housing solutions is becoming more and more difficult and policies struggle to provide adequate re-sponse in most countries .Social Housing options