The benefits of sharing: differences between coliving and cohousing

What’s the difference between coliving and cohousing? | Here are the benefits of a life built on sharing and collaboration

It’s now a fact that we’re living in a particularly delicate time from a social standpoint: the safety measures put in place to protect us from the risks of Covid-19 require us to maintain a physical distance from others that goes against human nature. In this context, it becomes even more important to invest in models and practices that facilitate socializing and sharing, so as to avoid problems stemming from feelings of loneliness and isolation. Technology already provides great help in this regard: being always connected and in touch with others allows us to continue nurturing our relationships and sharing moments and experiences even at a distance. Therefore, it becomes essential to learn how to use and incorporate digital tools for sharing and collaboration into both your work and private life. But there are also contexts like coliving and cohousing that allow you to share and collaborate in person, completely eliminating physical distance while still staying safe.

But what are the differences between coliving and cohousing?

It’s worth clarifying what these two concepts are and what the differences are between coliving and cohousing, so you can choose the best fit for your lifestyle and work needs more consciously.

What coliving entails

Coliving is a model that combines living and working needs. It first emerged a few years ago in Silicon Valley to allow different people with shared professional interests to connect and share experiences, projects, and daily life, living and working under the same roof. In fact, it was an innovative way of thinking about networking among professionals. In coliving, you don’t just share workspaces within a coworking area, but also daily life and relaxation moments. The living space has several common areas beyond the coworking space, such as kitchens and dining rooms, leisure and relaxation areas, event and workshop spaces. The core idea is the integration of “living” and “working”, fostering the creation of ideas and projects through sharing and collaboration even outside the work context. We can say that life in a coliving space is perfect for those who love to be in a constantly evolving environment and surrounded by new stimuli.

What is cohousing?

Cohousing generally refers to a lifestyle based on collaboration and sharing. Up to this point, you might say it sounds just like coliving. Well, yes and no—cohousing can be seen as the ancestor of coliving. This model emerged in the 1960s in Denmark as apartment buildings made up of private homes that shared spaces and services to allow all residents to live together and share experiences. In cohousing, the goal is to ensure a high quality of communal life. The spaces and design are created to encourage interaction and exchange among residents, nurturing values of solidarity, sharing, and collaboration. So, the goal isn’t to foster professional networking, like in coliving. Here we stop at an earlier stage: in cohousing, the focus is on living collaboratively, not on working and living. In cohousing, you only share daily life within a purely residential space, separate from the work dimension. Somewhat improperly, we might say that cohousing can take on the appearance of a hospitality structure, like an Airbnb, because it’s designed to host guests for varying periods; however, the element of sharing a common value system focused on collaboration and communal living is essential.

Can coliving and cohousing coexist?

Now that we’ve clarified the differences, we can say that the two models have a lot in common. In both cases, a sense of community is created in which the human aspect is very important: residents feel part of a collaborative community where loneliness and isolation aren’t possible. Our BeetCommunity was born precisely from the idea and desire to create a community of people and professionals, aiming to meet everyone’s needs. In fact, we created the first Coliving in Sicily, but we also offer space for those who are just looking for a place to live. That’s why we created our cohousing project and called it CoHabitat, because we like to think that our spaces create a favorable habitat for everyone who loves to share and collaborate. Come visit us anytime! >