Co-Living in the Sharing Economy

Within the context of the sharing economy, populations of today are increasingly mobile, urban, and less inclined to ownership.Collaborative consumption has molded expectations of sharing, and along comes a shifting demographic of urban and non-family householders.  A new form of co-housing has emerged: co-living, that is a formalized version of room-sharing, straddles the hospitality and residential sectors. Rooted in the social and cooperative economy, the co-living housing model offers flexible, mid-term rental leases along with built-in urban amenities and a community of like-minded individuals.

By analyzing the cases of four co-living operators (Ollie, WeLive, Common, and Starcity) in four U.S. metros (New York City, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Boston) through spatial analytics, financial feasibility, market and urban metrics, this research explores co-living as a prototype of the platform economy and as a physical asset, and assesses this new rental housing typology for its feasibility and challenges for future growth. The research highlights the potential of co-living as a valuable addition to the housing market—as a tool to address the issue of affordability and an alternative housing typology, serving transitional populations.

Bring your lunch, dessert provided.

This event is part of our Housing Research Seminar Series, which are held on Fridays at lunchtime, during the academic year.

Please note this research seminar was NOT livestreamed.