Living together in old age: Identifying preferences for collaborative housing through participatory design-led research

In the Netherlands, as in many European countries, housing has become increasingly commodified, and there are growing disparities amongst the housing situations of different generations. While older people tend to live in spacious homes, young people and families increasingly struggle to find a suitable dwelling. Furthermore, since 2012, the national government has adopted an ‘ageing in place’ approach, encouraging older people to stay in their homes as long as possible and making retirement homes only accessible for those unable to live on their own. Moreover, housing that is suited to the needs of older people is scarce, of poor quality, or unaffordable. Against this backdrop, collaborative housing forms, based on the principles of sharing and collectivity, could offer an attractive alternative for older people who are still fit to live independently and want to live in closer connection to their neighbours. Despite the increased popularity of collaborative housing amongst older people in other European countries, this type of housing is (still) relatively unknown in the Netherlands. It is generally assumed that most Dutch people will not want to live collaboratively if given the choice. This paper explores this assumption through a case study in the Tanthof-Oost neighbourhood in Delft. The study followed a participatory design-led research approach to identify the housing preferences of older residents and their willingness to live in different types of collaborative housing. The paper attests to the potential of collaborative housing for housing and mutual care in old age.