Collaborative Living

Co-housing is a concept of collaborative housing designed and run by residents who want their own private space but wish to operate as a community. This kind of living emphasises community care and welfare. It relies on a participatory process in which the residents design the community, built on a neighbourhood model: there are private houses or flats for families or individuals but also communal facilities such as lounges, meeting rooms and childcare areas. The organisation is non-hierarchical: different individuals run different activities but there is no overall leader. It is not a commune, however, and operates on a sound financial and legal basis.

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New Social Housing

Social housing has finally started to challenge stereotypes and is seeking to restore a human scale and a sense of place to council owned properties. It is typified by contemporary design and energy efficiency within a high-quality environment. The change is social as well as architectural; social housing is no longer segregated off on estates and council houses are dotted in among private homes. On London estates, tenants consulted about new building plans rejected more dense, high-rise designs and voted for less open space but more houses. Tower blocks are being replaced by low rise homes, going back to the old concept of close-knit neighbourhoods.

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Write your essay.


The two texts discuss different types of housing: co-housing and social housing. Co-housing is more aimed at creating a sense of community and endorsing contentment with living comforts among resident, while social housing sets out to create a distinctive character of area for private holdings owned by council. Namely, social housing has a goal to create uniformity in style and efficiency in the way the estates are run. What both types of housing have in common is that the residents have their say in their development. In co-housing residents contribute to the welfare of society while having no leadership hierarchy. Tenants of London estates, in their turn, had their say in the type and design of the social housing they would like to see built.

It is true that those who live in and contribute to co-housing will cultivate a sense of unity. By sharing responsibilities they can also manage issues effectively and learn to hear and be heard. However, the long-term implication of lack of authority within their group is that clashes of interests can barely be avoided. The sense of sameness promoted by social housing will not only create a sense of equality among tenants, but will also enable them to lead households more independently, while fostering a community spirit. But ultimately, new social housing will help tackle the problem of homelessness that has become a pressing concern in London.

One way or another, I believe both types of properties are bound to endow people with affordable housing while reviving close-knit neighbourhoods. 

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