Communal living is growing in Australia. Residents say it can create community and reduce cost of living

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 11:19:13 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-22/communal-living-reduce-cost-of-living-loneliness/101146464>

'In a country where many don't know their neighbours, Laxmi and Dinesh Sanders
want to do things differently.

Ms Sanders is from a small village in Nepal, and wanted to raise her kids in a
similar environment where neighbours lend each other a hand.

"I want my children to have those sort of experiences, like going to neighbours
and having meals together," she said.

So when Mr Sanders's cousin told the couple about the Urban Coup, a co-housing
project taking up an eight-storey apartment building in Brunswick in
Melbourne's inner north, they leapt at the chance to buy in.

"Different people have different experiences in their life, and each one is
able to give that experience to the kids," Mr Sanders said.

"There's a saying that it takes a village to raise a child, and I think this is
the village."

The residents steered the development of the apartment building, and facilities
and shared spaces are managed by the community.

Each of the 29 households has their own small apartment, with bedrooms,
bathrooms, small kitchens and living spaces.

Shared spaces for the development include a kitchen and dining area — where
residents will cook and share communal meals — laundry, guest rooms, outdoor
spaces, music room and workshop.

Co-housing refers to an "intentional community" living in a collection of
private homes, accompanied by communally owned shared spaces.

These developments are being built all over the country, with the aim of living
sustainably and socially. This means cost of living for the occupants is
reduced, as resources are shared, items are bought in bulk, and
environmentalism is often at the heart of building design.'

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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