05.06 Urban Collective Living Arrangements: Golden Key to Sustainable Communities?

Project summary
In light of increasing single-person households, patchwork families and loneliness, citizens turn towards alternative living arrangements for social support and wellbeing. The proposed research investigates the potential of Urban Collective Living Arrangements (UCLAs) – living communities emphasizing sharing and a common group identity – to create sustainable communities. We investigate the mechanisms behind the internal viability and external impact of UCLAs on their environment.

Research Design and Data
The main research site is a large and diverse living community in the Netherlands. In order to unravel the complex interplay of social mechanisms and their outcomes, ethnographic and case study techniques are applied in a longitudinal research design. Critical incidents or trouble cases form the core of ethnographic data collection.

PhD
Louisa Firnenburg

Supervisors
Prof. dr. Rafael Wittek 
Dr. Liesbet Heyse 

Location
University of Groningen, Faculty of Behavioural and Social Science, Department of Sociology

Discipline
Sociology

Period
December 1, 2017 - November 30, 2021

Funding
University of Groningen