Co-living
[3] The co-living experience may simply include group discussions in common areas or weekly meals, although will oftentimes extend to shared workspace and collective endeavors such as living more sustainably.
[4] An increasing number of people across the world are turning to co-living in order to unlock the same benefits as other communal living models (such as communes or cohousing), including "comfort, affordability, and a greater sense of social belonging."
[8] The vast majority[weasel words] of co-living companies around the world claim that community[9][failed verification] is the number one benefit they provide their residents.
In fact, an increasing number of co-living locations are starting to offer month-by-month rental agreements as well as the option to not pay a traditional deposit.
As a differentiation strategy, co-living operators also aim to remove the many frictions of the traditional living experience such as buying and moving furniture, finding roommates, or paying separate utility bills.
By providing fully furnished rooms, offering roommate matching, and including utilities in a single rent price, co-living operators create a convenient living experience "so all you need to do upon arrival is unpack your suitcase.
Second, many co-living operators utilize higher density spatial design models to decrease the amount of rent paid by each resident.
Rural co-living spaces may exist in a five-bedroom house, are popular amongst digital nomads, and allow residents to rent on a month-to-month basis.
With home prices outpacing wage growth in 80% of U.S. markets, an increasing number of people are looking for affordable living options within large urban areas.
Some may have a separate workspace whether simply offering desks for online work, or tailored more to their specific residents, such as studios for painting or woodworking.
[18] An aspect of intentional communities that is found, especially in smaller independent co-living spaces, is that of shared values, interests, or purpose in life amongst its residents.
The concept of "Community Types" within coliving environments emphasizes the importance of aligning individuals with similar interests, values, and lifestyles to enhance their living experience.
[25] co-living is particularly popular in cities and urban spaces where housing is costly and limited, providing a more affordable and amenity-based alternative to individual apartments.
[30] Hotelier Ian Schrager claimed that co-living spaces were "blurring the distinction between residential and hotels" due in part to differing sensibilities between millennials and previous generations.
She said that it could both be done with cross-generational housing – i.e., retrofitting a retirement home to accommodate younger people living with elderly family members – or standard housemates.
[32] Author Matthew Stewart was critical of a specific co-living corporation for "the price, exclusivity, substandard size of bedrooms and cynical view of community."
[19] The key distinction is that cohousing embeds collective resident control and stewardship into its legal form and decision making[33] whereas coliving is typically owned and run by external investors or operators, although the owner sometimes also lives in the co-living space.
