Coliving is becoming an increasingly popular way of living among young people. How is it different from other housing options available to young people today? When did it become trend and why is it so sought-after? 

Have you heard of coliving? If the word reminded you of the term coworking, which has become quite common in recent years, you are not far from the truth. They actually do have a lot in common. 

While in coworking people working on independent projects at the same place, coliving brings together people interested in the same type of accommodation. In this case, too, individuals are on their own – and thus live in separate apartments – they also cooperate with each other. E. g. they meet and associate in common spaces. It can be said that coworking and coliving are simultaneously sought out by the same groups of people. However, let’s take a look at the forms of coliving from the beginning.

Forms of coliving throughout the history

The idea of a group of people living together with the same goal is as old as humanity itself. Even in the earliest days of human civilization, hunters gathered in tribes that were most efficient from a security standpoint. They did not give up cohabitation even in the times of the agrarian revolution. Although they were no longer in such danger then, the advantages offered by the community of other people were still irreplaceable for them. 

Accordingly we could go through more and more stages of history and we would see that the cohabitation of several people, who were not only united by blood ties, was the long-standing standard. This only changed during the Industrial Revolution, when people moved to cities and living in large mansions replaced living in apartments with only your nuclear family. People gained better financial opportunities, were not dependent on group affiliation, and began to seek more privacy. One could say that this have not change until today. Well, in a way.

Of course, over time groups of people who were not satisfied with this system began to emerge and start to form groups that attempted to live communally. But not because it was a necessity – as in the case of war or poverty, for example. It was (and still is) because of a higher purpose in the united community. Sometimes these were outright utopian experiments. But we also know of examples of hippie communes that worked in the 1960s and 1970s, or kibbutzim that still operate in Israel today. 

What is modern coliving 

Coliving as we know it today has emerged in the last decade as a response to the current lifestyles that young people are seeking. It combines a number of factors. 

Young people are moving to big cities where they cannot afford or do not want to buy their own homes. They often move from place to place and buying or renting an apartment, furnishing it and moving out after a few months would not make sense to them. They want to deal with housing in a modern way, without unnecessary haggling with landlords and without restrictive rules. 

Work is a big part of their lives and is no longer just a necessity, in opposition to leisure, but something that is intertwined in several elements of their lives. Moreover, many young people no longer work the traditional way, they work remotely, as freelancers working on different projects, or they are digital nomads living abroad. This lifestyle can bring a certain amount of loneliness and isolation, so they appreciate the opportunities to meet and connect with interesting people, but on the other hand they value their privacy and need “alone time” too. 

And while this may sound like a cocktail of diverse living requirements, it perfectly describes coliving as we know it today.  Coliving provides young people with a medium to long term accommodation option where housing, work and social life are combined. You can now find such coliving in Bratislava – BE ONE apartments. 

Living for people with the same lifestyle

Coliving is not just about sharing space with other people to share housing costs. The philosophy of coliving is to create an environment that invites people to interact and cooperate, as well as to establish personal and working relationships. It is not about randomly meeting in the kitchen or laundry room. It is a choice that people consciously make. They choose a place where they don’t have to follow restrictive rules, such as at a dormitory. At the same time they have to behave responsibly.

In the coliving space, in addition to separate apartments, they will also find common spaces. They can meet to prepare meals in a shared kitchen , or use coworking spaces for networking. People can get to know each other and spend their free time together in lounge spaces also. Such spaces can also be found in our coliving Metropol in BE ONE. If the idea of coliving appeals to you, take a look at the available apartments.