Many of us have already lived, or are currently living in, some sort of shared community housing. Whether it be from a college experience of living in a dormitory or a retirement community filled with other senior citizens, the loosely defined, yet increasingly popular concept of co-living has taken on many forms in society. The co-living market giants, including WeLive, Common, and Ollie, center themselves around participating in a shared economy, offering a financially sensible housing solution, and fostering meaningful social connections. As we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic and adapt to the enforcement of social distancing and stay-at-home mandates, co-living tenants have felt compelled to navigate the loopholes in the designs of their communities in order to discover new ways of living with others, while also mitigating health risks. In fact, co-living communities may be better positioned to handle a pandemic while balancing a sense of normalcy more so than traditional residential real estate offerings.
WeLive: The Latest Architecture and News
Social Distancing in a Social House: How Co-living Communities are Designed to Handle COVID-19
Sharing Your Home with Strangers: What Does the Future Hold for the Co-Living Craze?
What if your apartment was more than just a place to live? What if it was a catalyst for social interactions? Or what if it removed the everyday tedious tasks of cleaning, paying bills, and buying furnishings? Co-living, a modern form of housing where residents share living spaces, is aiming to do just that.
Co-living is growing in popularity in major cities such as London and New York, where increasing housing prices are forcing residents to look at new and adaptive ways to rent in the city. When we discussed the ambitions and inspirations behind the co-living movement in 2016, it was still a concept that was in its relatively experimental stages. Today, co-living is more focused in its mission, and has found success by pushing people together through a collection of common themes: a yearning for social connection, participation in an increasingly shared economy, and the affordability of a convenient housing solution.
The Sociology of Coliving: How WeLive Creates a "Third Place"
This article was originally published on Autodesk's Redshift publication (formerly known as Line//Shape//Space), under the title "Live, Work, Play: WeLive’s Live-Work Spaces Reveal a 'Third Place.'"
According to urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg, people need three types of places to live fulfilled, connected lives: Their “first place” (home) for private respite; their “second place” (work) for economic engagement; and their “third place,” a more amorphous arena used for reaffirming social bonds and community identities.
This third place can be a barbershop, neighborhood bar, community center, or even a public square. The desire for these three separate spheres drives how human environments are designed at a bedrock level, but increasing urbanism—as well as geographic and economic mobility—are collapsing these multiple spaces into one. The result is a new hybrid building type: a live-work multiunit dwelling that is home, office, and clubhouse.