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Plans for 'co-living' apartment blocks in Dublin are in opposition to the 'cohousing' model popular in Europe

Cohousing arrangements are a co-operative movement that helps to create affordable housing, writes Tom O’Donnell.

“CITIES HAVE THE capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when they are created by everybody”.  

So said Jane Jacobs, in The Death and Life of Great American Cities

What has housing to do with meaningful democracy, civic participation, social equality, or diverse and fulfilling ways of life? What about inclusivity, health, community, ecologies or sustainable land use?  

The importance and connection of housing to these general themes is usually highlighted when things go wrong.  In a housing crisis, inequality, social alienation and exclusion as well as their broader consequences for democracy are brought to the fore.  

Given its importance in society, it is strange that housing is usually discussed in terms of ‘units’ and ‘delivery’ or ‘provision’.  ‘Land’ is employed as a completely neutral term, independent of place.

This use of language is revealing and tells us that the supply of housing is generally understood as an instrumentalised mass phenomenon and a top-down process where the users are passive agents.

However, as increasingly complex ways of life, lifestyles and changing demographics begin to define the ‘norm’ and as we become subject to fluctuating social and environmental pressures, it is more and more obvious that different approaches to housing are needed and that it is unrealistic to expect present top-down and market-led structures to meet these needs.

On this basis and in the present climate, we might view the emergence of ‘co-living’ developments with some suspicion.

On the face of it ‘co-living’ appears to be merely a commercial repackaging of familiar types: shared apartment living or at its most extreme, the hostel for single, transient accommodation.

Co-living versus cohousing

Recently a high profile planning application has brought a co-living model to the fore in Ireland and that idea has been welcomed by the Minister for Housing.  

‘Co-living’ plays on the similar sounding ‘cohousing’ and in its commercial branding seems to infer some sense of ‘community’ is included in the package.

It is important to make a distinction between the real cohousing model and attempts to monetise human relationships or exploit people’s difficulties.

The cohousing model emerged in Denmark in the 1960s when groups of families started to come together to build their own community housing projects, sharing the cost and making decisions for themselves about how their living space would look and who they would share it with.

Cohousing has become fairly mainstream now in some European countries, including Germany, where public and voluntary supports have been built up around it.

In cohousing, the prefix ‘co’ refers to collaborative and cooperative approaches to housing where neighbours form a real community. 

A cohousing project might contain relatively conventional private accommodation with shared or communal facilities and spaces.  

Equally, it might contain smaller than usual private apartments with extremely generous shared living and outdoor areas.

This latter arrangement is sometimes called a ‘cluster apartment’ and may have influenced the development of the ‘co-living’ model.  

However, the ‘cluster apartment’ offers significant differences to the ‘co-living’ project proposed here.  

Firstly, neighbours have got to know each other over years of planning; it is a stable community of people.  Secondly, they themselves chose their way of living and their homes are secure and affordable.

The cluster arrangement is frequently used for multi-generational and inclusive living where singles, young families and older people, as well as people with disabilities, share meals and living areas when they desire.

An important and empowering aspect of cohousing is self-organisation: projects arise from the particular needs and desires of the people who come together to form that group.  Some groups favour a little communal life while others chose a lot.

It is the residents themselves who decide on their priorities, work out all the arrangements, they find land, engage architects and other professionals, and finally build and subsequently manage their own housing projects.  

Cohousing projects are built by people for themselves, there is no developer profit to be paid, nor is there a predetermined ‘lifestyle’ to buy into.

Often groups wish to maintain the affordability in perpetuity and so they agree at the beginning that the project won’t be profit-making. So if they want to leave – the price at which they sell on will be tied to the price they paid for their home. 

Possibilities

There are lots of possibilities when groups come together to create cohousing projects. An element of self-build could be included to reduce costs. 

Another advantage of this model is adaptability. Sometimes people will consider that they might want to split their home in their later years and sub-let part of it. So they might design so it can be split in two. This might help to fund their retirement once their family has flown the nest. 

Cohousing has also been developed for single-generational use.  A project in London called New Ground was developed by women of retirement age as an alternative to living alone.

A major hurdle for affordable cohousing and community-led housing is the availability of land.  That is why, increasingly in Europe and the UK, non-profit organisations known as Community Land Trusts are being used to guarantee affordable housing permanently.  

A Community Land Trust holds the ownership of the land and then leases it in perpetuity to those who build on it. 

These arrangements mean the land and housing is held in an ownership lock which prohibits the homes from being resold on the open market in the future. 

So the long-term leasing of land to cohousing groups by the state or other institutions creates a stock of long-term affordable housing.

Co-operative approaches

At Self Organised Architecture we are involved in research and promoting collaborative and cooperative approaches to housing including advocating for the establishment of Community Land Trusts.  

In order to enable these approaches, we are arguing for a cooperative approach to housing and urban development where top-down and ground-up initiatives can work together to allow people to address their own needs affordably and sustainably.  

This would reflect the trend across Europe and the UK for a ‘new municipalism’ – that is an approach to housing that prioritises democracy, participation and community-led initiatives and values land as a community asset rather than a commodity or source of income.

In reality, this can mean central or local government developing structures for cohousing groups to finance projects, such as sustainable investment funds or allowing Credit Unions to lend to them.

This could mean developing policies and master planning for Community Land Trusts. 

Or this could mean recognising cohousing and self-organised initiatives including self-build and developing policies to inform and support people who wish to address their own housing needs.

In order to inform policy and bring these ideas to the wider public, we are organising a major event in June called Cohousing Here which will take place in Dublin Castle on the 14 June and TU Dublin on the 15 June.  

We have invited speakers from Germany, Belgium, Spain, Holland, Italy, the UK and Ireland who will approach themes of collaboration, participation and social agency in cohousing. 

Self Organised Architecture also runs a quarterly Cohousing Cafe. 

Tom O’Donnell is an architect working in Ireland and Germany.  He is a director of Self Organised Architecture Research CLG, an organisation that researches and promotes cooperative and collaborative approaches to housing in Ireland.  

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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    May 22nd 2019, 7:14 AM

    Ridiculous pushing of this dogbox solution to the serious problem of the lack of affordable homes and rents in the country. Those pushing this “solution” should have to live in them for 6 months. 1300 per month isn’t cheap, 40 people to a kitchen is a recipe for disaster.
    People are being offered the tenement solution. What’s the next “solution”, cage apartments?
    Just build affordable homes and social housing. Stop selling the housing asset of the country to foreign private investors.

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    Mute Joey Casey
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    May 22nd 2019, 7:33 AM

    @Dave Doyle: People like yourself demanding an answer to the housing problem, then the gov make some sort of effort and you complain again.
    Nobody is asking you to live in these places. But if it works for students or homeless people then why not? It’s a roof, bed, shower and kitchen.

    Ask any Brazilian student in Dublin and they already live in cramped shared housing with 12 people sharing a kitchen and 5 or 6 to a bedroom.

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    Mute Eileen O'Sullivan
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    May 22nd 2019, 7:35 AM

    @Joey Casey: land lord?

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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    May 22nd 2019, 7:43 AM

    @Joey Casey: This is the “answer” to the housing problem? The housing problem exists because of FG policy that wants Mortage to Rent as the norm. Ordinary people are not to own their own homes. There’s little profit in that for the foreign investors that are buying up the housing and land asset of the country, on the cheap.
    If people were told the actual figures for the amount of homeless in the country they could see the reality of what FG are trying to push on people.

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    Mute Anne Marie Devlin
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    May 22nd 2019, 7:46 AM

    @Joey Casey: The Brazilian student won’t be able to afford the 1300 a month! According to what I’ve seen, they generally pay around 300 to share a room with 16 others. The accommodation is specifically targeted at ‘young professionals’ – ie tech or finance workers. I imagine that the rooms will be rented en masse by big companies who’ll use them to house staff on a temporary basis. It works out at about 50 a night which is cheaper than a hotel. It could also become part of the homeless plan. Again, at 50 a night, it is cheaper than a hotel.

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    Mute Aidan Mitchell
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    May 22nd 2019, 7:53 AM

    @Joey Casey: you’re wrong Joey.
    “if it works for students or homeless then why not”.
    If you wouldn’t live in it then how can you expect others to?
    Because they are desperate?
    That rationale is literally treating them as second class citizens.

    Every suggestion to the housing issue doesn’t mean its a good solution.
    The numbers quoted of 40 apartments sharing a kitchen and communal area is absolute madness.
    Would you let your young children live with 40+ total strangers?

    Common sense must prevail here and get these potential hell holes off the agenda!

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    Mute Jims - TechBuzz Ireland
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    May 22nd 2019, 8:19 AM

    @Joey Casey: Eoghan is that you

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    Mute Nuala Mc Namara
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    May 22nd 2019, 8:41 AM

    @Joey Casey: Bedrooms are smaller than disabled parking spaces or tiny plus sharing kitchen and living space with over 40 residents!
    When there’s a shortage of affordable housing and social housing,then the solution is increasing that housing stock!There are increasing numbers of homeless families with children,there are 70,000+ households (over 140,000+ people) on social housing waiting lists & rents are higher than peak.Also over 50% of all workers earn under €30,000..
    The Government should be making more than “some sort of effort” during a National emergency in homelessness and housing!

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    Mute Peter Hughes
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    May 22nd 2019, 10:31 AM

    @Joey Casey: This is not an effort to fix anything, this is a private sector grab to milk as much profit as possible of the misfortune of others. The people who are voting for this don’t realise that the next meltdown will see them open their eyes, they are blinded by house price rises and do not see what is coming down the road…..when things go bad again they have the potential to go really bad as there won’t be any room to borrow tens of billions to patch up things, it will be sharp pain when the next bubble pops and I predict serious unrest.

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    Mute Diogenes
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    May 22nd 2019, 12:49 PM

    @Joey Casey: Yeh but not for 1,300 a month.

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    Mute Joey Casey
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    May 22nd 2019, 1:09 PM

    @Aidan Mitchell: yes I agree with you. Common sense must prevail. It’s not the answer to the problem but it’s at least something to get people off the streets or give another type of option to what we have.
    Build something just don’t build nothing!

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    Mute Joey Casey
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    May 22nd 2019, 1:12 PM

    @Aidan Mitchell: I didn’t say if I would or wouldn’t live there. However, if the only other option was lying in a doorway then hell yeah id take it.

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    Mute Joey Casey
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    May 22nd 2019, 1:14 PM

    @Eileen O’Sullivan: nope. Also renting and being ripped off.
    But if I dare to comment against what the masses are preaching then dumb idiots like you write their dumb comments like this. Sad cow.

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    Mute Maciej Zadorozny
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    May 22nd 2019, 1:48 PM

    @Dave Doyle: Affordable homes YES, but why social housing? Earn money, save and buy.

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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    May 22nd 2019, 4:53 PM

    @Maciej Zadorozny: Why indeed. You do realise that even in the best of times when housing was affordable to all those on a decent wage, there were always those who could not afford, or obtain a mortgage due to what they earned.
    Social housing was built to get people out of the death traps of tenements, people who could never afford their own homes. Social housing also works at keeping the price of private homes and rents at reasonable levels.

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    Mute Mimi Áine Sophie.
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    May 24th 2019, 3:26 PM

    @Joey Casey: ” But if it works for students or homeless people then why not? “.

    It doesn’t. No-one would live in such a situation unless they literally had no choice. And such is the dearth of housing stock in this country, people literally have no choice.

    “Offering” people the chance to be bled of their income to live in substandard accommodation, without their own space, with no prospect of them ever actually owning anything, is not a solution, any more than tenements or workhouses or laundries were solutions.

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    Mute Aine O Connor
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    May 22nd 2019, 8:00 AM

    If and it’s a big If , I decided to pay €1300 for one of these dogboxes, for that money I would expect , not a shared kitchen but a fully staffed canteen where meals would be provided at a low cost for the residents , also Laundry Facilities . In my room , I would expect to have an en-suite bathroom, plenty of room for a double bed and a seating area. Also a sink unit , a microwave and kettle, etc for snacks.

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    Mute Aine O Connor
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    May 22nd 2019, 8:02 AM

    @Aine O Connor: And I omitted that in the bedroom I would expect plenty of storage space, wardrobe to.

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    Mute Eileen O'Sullivan
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    May 22nd 2019, 8:08 AM

    @Aine O Connor: see Japanese micro living. That’s the model favoured by FG it seems https://youtu.be/13ssbuyaqZI co housing on the other hand co housing FG soul have imho http://www.cohousing.org/openhouse2016

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    Mute Nuala Mc Namara
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    May 22nd 2019, 8:26 AM

    @Aine O Connor: These bedrooms are smaller than disabled parking spaces,so tiny!

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    Mute Aine O Connor
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    May 22nd 2019, 9:14 AM

    @Nuala Mc Namara: A prison cell is problematic bigger

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    Mute Rodney Williams
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    May 22nd 2019, 7:20 AM

    An Oige Hostels from 1960s

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    Mute Eileen O'Sullivan
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    May 22nd 2019, 8:46 AM

    Co living is about rolling out homeless style emergency accomodation for inflated prices for profit and telling the punter it’s trendy. Eg Japanese micro apartments. Co housing is creating community and building from scratch together based on shared outlook and costs based on the community’s wishes.

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    Mute Martin Meyler
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    May 22nd 2019, 10:55 AM

    @Eileen O’Sullivan: yeah, but there’s no profit in co-housing for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s buddies.

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    Mute Eileen O'Sullivan
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    May 22nd 2019, 7:30 AM

    Co living Vs co housing. Co housing equals Clough Jordan http://www.thevillage.ie co living equals Japanese micro apartments https://www.fastcompany.com/3017659/these-photos-of-tiny-futuristic-japanese-apartments-show-how-micro-micro-apartments-can-be

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    Mute Sega Yolo
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    May 22nd 2019, 9:50 AM

    Sounds exactly like the roughneck camp accommodations I’ve been at on the Alaskan pipelines.
    Forty single bed cells and a cooking / eating area. No private life, no visitors and curfews.
    The co-living model sounds more like a pay-for open prison experience.
    Next solution – sign up for Hot Bedding and get 30% off.

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    Mute Martin Critten
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    May 22nd 2019, 8:45 AM

    They were a Western target for criticism of the old Soviet block and now they are tearing them down. Yet we want to build them ?

    https://www.citylab.com/equity/2017/03/the-disappearing-mass-housing-of-the-soviet-union/518868/

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    Mute John Kelly
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    May 22nd 2019, 7:25 AM

    There was no mention of any specific designs or numbers or sizes of accommodation.. just a philosophical view about the headline ..

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    Mute Dave Doyle
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    May 22nd 2019, 7:36 AM

    @John Kelly: You’re denying reality. Again. The fact that there’s planning applications for 6000 of these dogboxes awaiting approval means it gone way beyond the “philosophical” stage.

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    Mute John Kelly
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    May 22nd 2019, 8:20 AM

    @Dave Doyle: I’m talking about the article above .. not current applications which are in for approval ..

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    Mute Jeremiah A Craic
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    May 22nd 2019, 7:12 AM

    Everyone’s in a rat race anyway so we might aswell live like em!

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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    May 22nd 2019, 7:46 AM

    @Jeremiah A Craic: 20,000 squatters in UK at present

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    Mute ciar0
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    May 22nd 2019, 8:12 AM

    Joe casey. Fg shrill or mor on?

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    Mute Eileen O'Sullivan
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    May 22nd 2019, 8:14 AM

    @ciar0: FG shill equals Land Lord?

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    Mute Green Lentils
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    May 22nd 2019, 8:42 AM

    People would probably be able to address their own housing needs a bit more if they weren’t being screwed over by unaffordable childcare and high taxes. Typical sort yourself out because your country can’t provide an affordable housing solution for you except to offer your youth over priced cramped and anti social living in the city. This is an invitation for crimes to be committed within closed quarters.

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    Mute Bruce van der Gutschmitzer
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    May 22nd 2019, 10:34 AM

    @Green Lentils: you’ll have someone cause serious assault or worse. Someone who gets sick of Susie or Sean not cleaning up after themselves and someone unleashing their frustration on that person or some innocent bystander. It’d be a totally toxic living situation that would manifest itself in someone getting seriously hurt.

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    Mute Green Lentils
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    May 22nd 2019, 11:22 AM

    @Bruce van der Gutschmitzer: Or just the chances in general of meeting someone who’s a little bit unhinged because of high numbers living in enclosed spaces paying THAT much money for the privilege to boot….yup

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    Mute joe
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    May 22nd 2019, 9:40 AM

    I don’t think these will work in Ireland. We are not European in our mentality. We don’t do sharing.
    They may work for foreign nationals travelling or having just arrived in Ireland but at 1,300 pm. I’d much prefer a luxury apartment in the docks and to share with 2 others!
    What would you get in Dun Laoghaire for €2,600 or €3,900.
    I think these will fail to rent.
    If there are any social housing types put in there by local authorities this will speed up the failure as people will want to share even less!

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    Mute Aine O Connor
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    May 22nd 2019, 10:01 AM

    Many people who are now homeless could be temporality accommodated with family members while they wait their turn on the housing list. except for the crazy rule that they would be taken off the housing list if they go to live with a relative .
    Instead the Government will pay millions in Hap payments. to warehouse people in Hotels and Hubs.
    Why can’t they set up formal arrangements with people who have room in the family home , want to help out temporarily for a fraction of the cost. The advantages are all good. People could stay in their area, their children stay in their schools, Grandparents could help out with some childcare if they do wished. It would not suit some people but it is a form of co living for families.

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    Mute Sega Yolo
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    May 22nd 2019, 10:20 AM

    @Aine O Connor: all very well Aine, but that doesn’t fit their dependency model.
    All notions of independent life will be smothered with a pillow, … working for yourself, looking after your own housing, your own healthcare or any other self provision will be met with distain.
    You pay into the kitty but soon as you or yours need something, its a cream pie in the face.

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    Mute Aine O Connor
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    May 22nd 2019, 12:21 PM

    @Sega Yolo:
    I am talking about people who are Working but are not Earning enough to ever get on the property ladder. Everyone looking for a home is Not on the Dole.
    There was a time when one wage could support a family , pay a mortgage but those days are long gone. Back in the day I built a house , reared seven children , who are all working and paying shedloads of tax in Ireland all on one spouse working. Today even families with two wages are struggling due to the cost of childcare and high rents.

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    Mute Aine O Connor
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    May 22nd 2019, 12:29 PM

    @Aine O Connor:
    Also I know many families who are in a position to build or buy their own house move in temporarily with their parents while the house is been built to save money.
    If it can be done in the private sector what’s wrong with families moving in with parents until their turn comes up to be housed. The money saved could be used to build the houses instead oh enriching Hotels etc. who provide sub standard unsuitable emergency accommodation for families .

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    Mute Poly Pocket
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    May 22nd 2019, 1:40 PM

    2019 tenement housing! How wonderful

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    Mute Adolf Galland
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    May 22nd 2019, 11:42 AM

    The council can be build perfectly good apartments and housing. If you’re ever around Dolphins Barn check out the new apartments that replaced the slums that were there before. They are outstanding. The councils however unlike in the UK and elsewhere seem to refuse to maintain there properties or charge adequate rents to fund this maintainence.

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