Sustainability / Social Impact

A research-based article packed with helpful resources and a clear snapshot of how coliving operators are incorporating social value into their business models. A great place to start for a succinct overview of social impact in coliving.

A fantastic review of how coliving, cohousing, and other shared living models can impact our mental health. Citing many reputable organizations studying human wellbeing, this piece from Space10 is a great introduction to the intersection of shared living and mental health/wellbeing.

A great analysis of the past, present, and future of communal living in the UK. From housing equity to design for wellbeing, this piece covers a lot of ground on how coliving can be a force for the common good.

This 150-page report contains a wealth of information on how we can use built environments to encourage wellness. For those looking to learn about the history and potential of wellness lifestyle real estate, this report is an excellent place to start.

The Happiness Research Institute teamed up with European home improvement company Kingfisher to find out what makes a happy home. The report compares many countries across Europe and offers advice on how to make our future homes happier.

What health benefits does coliving offer? This piece from Haven Coliving dives into many benefits of coliving including improvement in mental health, promotion of cognitive skills, and the reduction of age-related health decline.

While not many academic papers have specifically covered the coliving industry, this paper published by the Springer Nature group dives into how co-living spaces can affect the wellbeing of digital nomads. The authors interviewed twelve digital nomads that had experienced coliving to some degree to discover how coliving affected their lives.

In her Ted Talk with over two million views, architect Grace Kim suggests that shared living models such as cohousing can be an excellent way to combat the loneliness epidemic.

Most have heard of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, but fewer are familiar with Max Neef’s fundamental human needs. This article by Gabriel Neira Voto dives deep into how coliving can allow us to satisfy all of our fundamental needs from subsistence to identity.

Another great piece of content from Conscious Coliving that presents the response from a survey conducted at Co-Liv’s 2018 Coliving Summit in Paris. The survey asked 45 coliving operators to self-report how well they thought their company was doing in regards to wellbeing, community, and environmental sustainability practices.

Guest experience consultant Leah Ziliak provides a convincing list of reasons why living in a coliving community will increase your well-being. The list includes factors like connections develop quickly, avoiding burnout, and increased personal growth.

Sadly, sexual assault is still and under-discussed topic. This roundtable discussion aims to help break this stigma and provide awareness, education, and ultimately, prevention of sexual assault in coliving.

Ulrika Hafstrom’s research paper from Lund University in Sweden presents an interesting study on how coliving is an effective sustainable urban housing strategy in Stockholm. The results of the study confirm that coliving can promote environmental sustainability through “sharing and access to social capital, lowering carbon emissions from densification, and providing social belonging.”

This study (commissioned by Barclays) aims to explore how coliving can “provide a viable route towards homeownership” and “the potential demand for a “to buy” co-living product.” The study specifically examines potential home-buyers in the UK, but the bulk of the insights presented could certainly apply to countries around the world.