Enhancing Oneness through a Co-Housing Community

Abstract

Many of us live in conventional housing facilities, and recent changes in the demographic shift and economic changes create a more significant impact and reshape the spaces we live, work, etc. Modern life makes it challenging to find an answer for the housing crisis and social change, and this, when paired with a safety and security crisis, we can see the decline in meaningful social connections, isolation, leading to sparse human interactions and a lack of vibrant community life. These issues, in turn, threaten not just the quality of life but also human well-being. In response, architecture must create an inclusive urban fabric that meets all groups of people’s social, physical and economic needs. One way to deal with these issues is by revisiting previous models of inhabitation, analysing and modifying them in order to achieve a sustainable living model. This study aims to understand and compare the existing models of co-housing communities across the globe and provide insights into how the concept of co-housing is evolving and how it is likely to impact India. A survey has been conducted with 150 people of diverse age groups to understand the needs and trends of people and further by developing a framework for co-housing communities in an urban setting, where it has the potential to offer a different scale of social organisation and to provide a supportive housing environment emphasising more on sustainable lifestyle practices. Architecture must enhance a person’s lifestyle, and co-housing can catalyse the same. Submitted: 29 November 2020; Revised: 18 December 2020; Accepted: 14 April 2021

Keywords

• Privacy
• Co-housing
• Integration
• Shared Spaces
• Collaboration
• India