Masterthesis Nicolinenorupsill
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Promoting co-housing A multi-level analysis of challenges and opportunities Title page Type of Thesis: Master’s thesis Project title: Promoting co-housing: A multi-level analysis of challenges and opportunities Characters incl. spaces: 168.959 Programme: Msc Sustainable Design Department and Study Board: Department of Planning Aalborg University, AAU-CPH Project duration: February 2020 - August 2020 Supervisor: Susse Georg Authors: Nicoline Nørup Sillesen Study no. 20180442 Date: August 3rd, 2020 In the 60s, an alternative housing form, co-housing, arose as a rebellion against the isolation of the individual and the family. In the recent years, a new revival of co-housing has occurred. Using multi- level perspective as a frame of reference, the reasons behind co-housing’s latest revival are sought to be uncovered, in this master thesis. Moreover, the existing housing market is analyzed, using multi- level perspective and strategic niche management, to understand why co-housing has still not gained a larger penetration in the housing market of Denmark. It is concluded that the revival of co-housing in Denmark is due to societal changes, such as an increased number of elderlies, singles, lonely people, changed family patterns, and a growing wish for community. The above-mentioned societal changes beg the question of whether the dominant housing types in Denmark, single-family houses, and apartments, are still the most optimal ones. Furthermore, it is concluded that the reasons that co-housing is not more widespread, among others, is that the real estate market is structured around a cost-efficient and profit driven mindset, with a lack of innovation. Locked legislation and practices that have been structured around individual ownership of housing units, together with a lack of knowledge, makes it difficult for alternative housing forms to gain entry. A website meant to facilitate structured information sharing and networking is proposed as a mechanism of promoting co-housing and making it more common than is currently the case. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude and thank all the people who took the time to answer my questions, through interviews and emails, and give me an insight into the building sector and the challenges that can typically be encountered in connection with creation of a co-housing community. Furthermore, I would like to thank Rambøll, for sparring and for helping me with connections to relevant experts through their network. In addition, I would like to thank my supervisor Susse Georg. Her guidance and professional contributions have been of paramount value in this process. Lastly, I would like to thank my boyfriend, family and friends for sparring and support during the preparation of this master thesis. Abstract ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................................................... 2 1. Thesis introduction ................................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 The field of co-housing .................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.1.1 The definition of co-housing ................................................................................................................................... 4 1.1.2 Co-housing as a niche .............................................................................................................................................. 4 1.2 Research question ........................................................................................................................................................... 5 1.3 Relevance of topic ........................................................................................................................................................... 6 1.4 Thesis structure ............................................................................................................................................................... 7 2. Theoretical framework .......................................................................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Transition of socio-technical systems ............................................................................................................................. 9 2.2 Multi-level perspective ................................................................................................................................................... 9 2.3 Strategic Niche Management ........................................................................................................................................ 12 2.4 Sub-conclusion .............................................................................................................................................................. 14 3. Methodology ....................................................................................................................................................................... 15 3.1 Researching the field..................................................................................................................................................... 15 3.1.1 Literature review ................................................................................................................................................... 16 3.2 Accessing the field......................................................................................................................................................... 16 3.2.1 Semi-structured interview ..................................................................................................................................... 16 3.2.2 Interview guide ..................................................................................................................................................... 17 3.2.3 Selecting the interviewees .................................................................................................................................... 18 3.3 Theory-driven analysis .................................................................................................................................................. 20 3.4 Design methods ............................................................................................................................................................ 22 3.4.1 Persona ................................................................................................................................................................. 22 3.4.2 Storytelling ............................................................................................................................................................ 22 4. Transitioning to co-housing -a literature review .................................................................................................................. 23 4.1 Main technologies of the literature .............................................................................................................................. 23 4.2 Main challenges and barriers of transitions .................................................................................................................. 24 4.2.1 Challenges and important processes of transitioning in general .......................................................................... 24 4.2.2 Challenges and important processes of transitioning in the building industry ..................................................... 27 4.3 Debates, conflicts and contradictions of the theories .................................................................................................. 28 4.4 Sub-conclusion .............................................................................................................................................................. 30 5. Co-housing: a historical perspective .................................................................................................................................... 31 5.1 A bird’s eye view of the development of co-housing .................................................................................................... 31 5.1.1 The first phase ....................................................................................................................................................... 33 5.1.2 The second phase .................................................................................................................................................. 35 5.1.3 The third phase ..................................................................................................................................................... 36 5.2 The revival of co-housing .............................................................................................................................................. 38 5.3 Sub-conclusion .............................................................................................................................................................. 40 6. Understanding