How We Live Report Launched.
Collective housing is our future: New report recommends a solution to the housing crisis.
Collective housing, which includes co-housing, has come of age.
Not to be confused with old-style communes, modern collective housing developments can include purpose-built, sustainably designed multi-unit projects with shared amenities, such as outdoor living areas and laundries, and spaces that can be booked for large gatherings.
They are designed to be intergenerational, which is a large part of their appeal - residents enjoy belonging to a community. Older people appreciate having the opportunity to help out young families, who in turn value their experience. And all residents benefit from reduced living costs.
How We Live – Creating Housing that puts People and the Planet First, a new report on the housing crisis released on Thursday, April 8, proposes collective housing as a way forward for all New Zealanders.
The report, prepared by sustainable and ethical business champion MOTIF Agency and commissioned by the PIF Foundation (Pay it Forward), presents a “co-created response to concern for Aotearoa’s housing ecosystem after the Covid-19 crisis”.
How We Live acknowledges the complexity of the current crisis and the importance of working with and across all sectors. And, it recognises the concept of “home” is not just about bricks and mortar, says lead author and The Housing Innovation Society’s Co-chair Ben Preston.
“For most people, home is much more than the physical structure of the building. Home represents a place of security, spirituality, and community,” he says.
The report provides a starting point for accelerating the collective housing sector in New Zealand: “We want to create a platform for ongoing dialogue through our website.
“The vision of How We Live is that in 2030, all New Zealanders including – Māori, Pasifika, and Pākehā – will live in communities they feel connected to, in deep connection with the land and natural environment they are supported by.”
The report says transitioning from building houses to enabling self-determining communities to co-create homes, is a critical step in enabling housing to become a force for positive change.
Head to How We Live’s Website to read the Report in full.
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