What Is Co-Living?
Have you ever thought about the housing crisis? Money problems, safety problems, loneliness about living alone, or the discomfort of living together... It's probably something that most people have thought about once in their life. Recently, co-living has become an alternative plan to deal with this housing problem. Co-living, which is a compound word of cooperative and living, refers to the sharing of a single residential space with someone other than the family. Though not yet familiar in Korea, it is already a common concept in foreign countries. The idea is to provide shared housing for people so that they can reduce the cost of living alone but improve the quality of life.
The Advantages of Co-Living
Co-living is economical and convenient, and it has the advantage of living together. First of all, the co-living space is usually located in a pleasant area and is comparatively comfortable considering the price. Also, it is economical because the deposit is cheaper than common cases, and people can set a shorter contract period than a two-year contract, which is common in Korea. Furthermore, there are often managers in co-living spaces. It would be convenient to request management or mediation to deal with issues whenever there is an inconvenience. There is also the joy of living together. Moreover, the co-living space solves social problems of high housing prices. Housing prices in cities are soaring these days due to crowds of people. Co-living space helps to solve these problems by providing shared housing for people who do not have their own houses in these crowded cities. To be more speci c, the case of co-living space is different from the case of the dormitory. This is because personal space and shared space are clearly distinguished in co-living space while a dormitory is not. When you live in a co-living space, there is a private space that you can use alone, and you can also have an opportunity to take the benefits of living together. For example, Zoku is a representative co-living space in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. It aims at maintaining a co-living space and coworking space at the same time, which allows people to learn more through frequent interactions with various people.
Co-Living Spaces in Korea
Recently, some co-living spaces have begun to appear in Korea, such as Stitch Lab and Common Town, which aim to be complex cultural spaces. Also, they can be purchased at a reasonable price in the heart of Seoul. Let’s hope there will be more co-living spaces that have a positive impact on young people and our society.