Cohabitat is more than a fashionable word. For many people it is already a project of the future, a model of collaborative housing and self-managed by adults who choose to live their old age in community.
Twin houses, common spaces to share activities, all in an ecological environment that allows us to appreciate nature and, also, solidarity.
- Why not take this step and plan.
- With a group of friends.
- To build these projects for tomorrow?Small houses.
- Sharing resources and building an adapted “senior” community with people who make sense to us.
Let’s say the idea is tempting, especially when you consider the serious impact loneliness and isolation have on our older adults.
It should be noted that these projects are not new. Cohabitation communities first appeared in Denmark in the 1970s. Later, in the 1980s, the model was brought to the United States, particularly To Oakland and Berkeley, Bellingham and Washington, enjoying the best natural spaces.
Currently, collaborative housing is already appearing in several European countries but also in Japan. From a clinical and health point of view, these (well-organized) projects are very positive.
The current community model does not facilitate human connection at all. In an increasingly advanced, connected and sophisticated society, it seems that when it comes to our aging ideal, we often dream of older and more traditional models.
The coexistence community model has a very clear objective: to improve the quality of life through an infrastructure that predisposes to social interaction.
In an increasingly globalized environment, people are almost always under pressure. Our work project, for example, is not always suitable for staff and family members. Schedules, air travel, smaller apartments, and pollution-saturated environments?
There are many factors that explain why the model becomes increasingly important, not only among the older population, as young people are often interested in such projects.
Studies such as that conducted by Dr Jo William of the University of Manchester in the UK show that what we miss most is positive social interaction in our nearest community.
Collaborative housing responds to an architectural and ecological model with the same objective: to recreate a model of conscious, supportive and socially connected community.
The coexistence model is not only focused on older people looking for a residential project, today many have taken the step to create this type of community district.
They live very young people who know very well what lifestyle they want, families who are entering new stages, even high-performing professionals, divorcees and, of course, retirees.
There is also one aspect that characterizes this type of infrastructure: there are houses that offer greater privacy if privacy is the priority, and there are also houses with a constant social connection.
Everyone finds their model; however, it should be noted that the coexisting community seeks above all collaboration and the sharing of time and resources.
There are groups of friends who create communities of coexistence from scratch, buy land and build houses. Likewise, we can also find environments suitable for living, such as townhouses, duplexes, apartments, etc.
However, the most noteworthy thing about these models is undoubtedly the balance they strike between the private and the community. Unlike the old “communities,” they all maintain their own income, and there is also no need to sell products between neighbors and others to financially support the community.
As for architectural design, it usually follows the same organizational pattern:
One of the most attractive aspects of coexistence is undoubtedly the concept of sustainability to which the houses belong, a way of life very respectful of the environment.
Not only are places in the natural environment sought, but houses designed to promote sociability and the neighborhood are trying to provide natural energies, such as solar panels.
In conclusion, if coexistence seems to be a good plan for the future, it should be noted that it is already very present, in almost every country in the world we find intergenerational communities that implement this model of life.
There are many communities inhabited only by the elderly, groups of friends who, in the fall of their life cycle, choose to continue to manage their daily lives in a friendly and close environment, where loneliness has no time,