The RSA worked with the creators of one of the world’s largest co-living scheme The Collective to publish a short collection of essays on the opportunities and challenges raised by co-living. Read the co-living essay series online.
What is co-living?
Co-living is a way of living focused on a genuine sense of community, using shared spaces and facilities to create a more convenient and fulfilling lifestyle. Co-living offers a solution that will enable young professionals to live properly, enjoy themselves and meet like-minded people. It is an alternative to flat sharing in a city. It’s a new take on an old idea, imagined by a millennial generation that values things like openness and collaboration, social networking, and the sharing economy.
The RSA essay collection
The Collective sponsored a short collection of essays compiled and edited by the RSA which explored the broad social and economic shifts which are reshaping our relationship to where we live and how we live. This is happening within an environmental imperative and a tech-enabled set of opportunities that compel us to change traditional patterns of consuming products and services.
The collection includes contributions from five experts drawn from a range of fields and experiences, including experts in urban design, regeneration, multi-generational living and designing for well-being.
Published in advance of London’s local council elections in May 2018, the audience for the publication includes prospective local councillors; policymakers in central and local government; experts, advisors and consultants to the housing and planning sectors; and the thought leaders who influence the social and economic development agenda for global cities. The objective is to enrich understanding of the distinct nature of contemporary challenges – specifically, for a new generation coming to live independently for the first time – and that a range of new co-living arrangements are understood with reference to their potential to address such challenges.
This publication aims to shift the debate about the future of housing in the UK’s major cities, where affordability and availability challenges are highly concentrated. The RSA is thrilled to be publishing on this innovative topic and share a range of perspective on this key social challenge, informing an important public debate.