Post by Delft University of Technology

🏘️ In a housing crisis that has already lasted for more than a decade and that shows no sign of disappearing, rethinking how we live together could offer a more resilient way forward. Collaborative housing can address not only housing supply but also broader societal challenges. It is this potential in building and living truly resilient that Darinka Czischke wants to make mainstream. “Having researched it for over a decade I am convinced that it suits many people who don’t realise this yet.”   Collaborative housing exists on a spectrum – from minimal sharing of a laundry room and administration to so-called co-housing where people cook together several times a week. For our aging population, it can allow seniors to live independently in their own apartments while still having access to communal care and social interaction. And from a sustainability perspective, sharing resources makes it easier to invest in measures such as insulation and energy efficiency that solo households or profit-driven landlords often overlook.   A large body of research already explores what drives people to start a collaborative housing project, how they navigate regulatory and administrative hurdles, and how these projects function in practice. What Czischke argues could truly tip the balance is revealing the latent demand for collaborative housing among the general population. It earned her a VIDI grant to research this further.   “At the heart of my InCommon research project is the idea of going beyond surface-level preferences,” she explains. “Rather than asking people what they want, we ask why they want it — and which deeper goals or values their preferences are connected to.”   Strongly believing in the societal impact of research, Czischke launched ‘Project Together!’ a few years ago – bringing researchers, architects, policymakers, and citizens together to explore new ways of living collectively. Building on that same drive, and the conviction that a transition in collaborative housing must start from the bottom, an important part of her VIDI-project is the filming of a documentary. “The idea is to team up with a media company and have them follow our team over the course of the research process. The resulting film should really capture the imagination of the regular citizen.”   Thanks to her extensive collaborations and research network, she sees the tides beginning to turn. “Small- and medium-sized architecture firms are increasingly drawn to collective living concepts, especially for seniors. These, as well as some larger developers too, are not only driven by profit but also have a value agenda.”   Czischke: “Ultimately, building resilience in our communities may come down to one simple principle: people working together to meet shared challenges.”   #university #technology #innovation #engineering #science #research