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

Aim of the project

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

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.