The coliving modality that emerged in Silicon Valley a few years ago was born from the need of young entrepreneurs and/or university students who were looking for new opportunities in central areas but when they arrived they realized the excessive costs of being in a highly desirable area.
So new options needed to come up. The concept of co-working had already been flying around for a few years and that's how a new alternative of having a private space (your room) and the rest of the areas were common, thus reducing costs. Bringing you also new social experiences with people like you.
Co-living for young people...
Over the years of experience in the industry we have encountered collivings of all shapes, prices and sizes. Some that fit and some that do not fit the definition, but each meeting different needs and/or preferences of the inhabitant.
There are companies that are dedicated exclusively to meet the needs of a specific group of people, such as digital nomads or those professionals (or freelancers) who only need a computer and functional internet to work. Some others focus on hosting university students for longer stays, perhaps a few semesters or their entire university stay. The latter must meet social needs and accessibility to the nearest universities.
There are colivings that focus on travelers and people who need temporary places and don't want to get stuck in more paperwork for their stay and don't want to pay the high prices of a hotel, where they probably won't socialize with people like them. So there are coliving spaces that hit the nail on the head with this niche.
Of course, it is necessary to delimit some basic functions of a Coliving, because there may be some with many luxuries and others that only meet the basic requirements for living, but all of them will share the following, if they want to be called coliving:
- All spaces, whether private or common, are usually equipped and furnished so that you can make use of them immediately.
- There is a person in charge of promoting coexistence through activities in the common areas or trips to explore the city.
- They are flexible as to the length of your stay with them.
- Your payment should include private and common spaces.
- For Coliving that have more locations, you could access their other common areas.
- Some, such as Covive, offer extra services such as: room cleaning, laundry, concierge services, dry cleaning, among others...
If there is one thing we know for sure, it is that the concept of Coliving - and of sharing resources - is not something new, but it is here to stay and to set a trend. Beyond necessity, there are people who seek to share because they appreciate it. There are people who seek to reduce their carbon footprint and achieve this by sharing resources.
Coliving for families.
Although we will start talking about a different concept, Cohousing has the same source of inspiration and the same objective of proposing functional housing alternatives for different groups. All sharing, in their own way and in their own measure.
Cohousing can be done among a small group of neighboring homeowners, who will decide together what type of housing to build, prioritizing the common areas among their small society. This trend starts with young couples, small families and even among large families.
Whether for young people, professionals, freelancers, adults, retirees or Millenials, sharing spaces, resources and experiences is something that society needs in order to continue to grow and make efficient use of resources.
