co- From the Latin cum (together with, in combination with). 1. Prefix co-. Coeval, cooperate, collateral, co-responsible.
When we talk about co-housing, we mean a cooperative or collaborative home. What is a collaborative home? It is a housing model born out of collaboration and mutual support in all its creative and everyday-living dimensions. First of all, a cooperative is formed, with awareness and commitment to leading an intentional life in community, and from there a shared project begins. A plot of land -or a building to renovate- is sought, and the participatory design process begins; in its creative, social and active development, each member of the cooperative contributes and collaborates in decision-making without any hierarchical structure. Individual requirements are set for each type of dwelling, but also collaborative communal spaces such as: a multipurpose room with a shared kitchen, a library, vegetable gardens, a childcare space, among others, all of them self-managed. Health, sustainability and energy-efficiency criteria are included from the outset, designed to last through the building’s entire useful life. Once the housing project is built and the community is bonded, shared social and administrative activities begin to develop, along with the maintenance of the spaces and mutual support. This is how a way of living voluntarily in community, with an eye to the future, begins.
Nowadays, we live in environments that are increasingly disconnected from nature, but also disconnected from personal relationships, lacking social cohesion. “Loneliness is not always a function of being alone, but a function of how socially connected we are to the people around us” –TED talks-. Today, more than ever, after the year we have lived through, full of uncertainty, pain, distress, fears -but also learning, empathy, compassion-, it has stirred up many emotions and made clear just how dependent we are on others. Taking it upon ourselves to buy groceries for an elderly neighbour to protect them, or to support acquaintances in quarantine, has been essential in some cases, and something we might not have considered before. So, how beneficial can it be to live under this housing model? Without a doubt, living together is not easy; there are differences and conflicts, but if you are motivated by a shared, voluntary project, you will seek to resolve differences through dialogue and empathy, which will undoubtedly lead to a far more satisfying and useful outcome. According to the latest World Happiness Report 2020, social support, freedom to make life choices, generosity and trust are determining factors in creating social environments for happiness. The truth is that we are not talking about anything new; it is a way of life that has always existed, but one that, without being fully aware of it, we are losing -and with it, possibly, our own happiness.
