Cooperative housing in the second half of life

Survey and examples in the Canton of Zurich

Topic: Most elderly people wish to live autonomously and remain socially connected within their familiar environment as long as possible. Against this backdrop a growing number of cooperative housing forms are emerging such as housing communities that include elderly inhabitants, multigenerational houses and residential estates. However to date, an assessment identifying how many people live in such arrangements, which types of cooperative housing exist, how successful they are, how they are funded, and who initiates such arrangements has been missing.

Aim: The project intends to produce a comprehensive overview of the diversity of such types of housing in the Canton of Zurich. Findings will be used to show how the conditions of development for cooperative housing can be improved.