Co-Housing: A Housing Approach to Fostering a Multigenerational Community
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2022
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University of Hawaii at Manoa
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Multigenerational living has deep roots in the culture and history here in Hawaii, especially among most of the population, including Native Hawaiians, Asians, and Pacific Islander communities. Economic factors such as housing and child/elderly care costs and social factors such as cultural preferences contribute to the decision for multigenerational families to live together. Due to land costs and material import costs, Hawaii severely lacks affordable housing, and the demand for such housing continues to grow. Where affordable housing is found, it is often located far from the city center and available jobs, creating a cycle of increased urban sprawl. This, in turn, impacts families regarding commuting time and expense, isolation in suburban neighborhoods, and numerous environmental impacts. Despite Hawaii’s attempts to promote multigenerational living, the existing housing stock is built following models imported from the U.S. mainland. Therefore, the housing stock accommodates nuclear families but not multigenerational families. Multigenerational housing is a model where multiple generations live under the same roof, typically the grandparents, parents, and (grand)children. Co-housing is a form of multigenerational living that emphasizes the intentionality of community. It aligns with the concept of multigenerational living in which multiple generations of families live under one roof to ease financial and social stress. Co-housing also aligns with many cultural values of different ethnicities here in Hawaii. Although owning a single-family house is an ideal aspiration of many, it is simply impossible for everyone to achieve in Hawaii. With the limited available land in Hawaii, it is essential to design for a denser Hawaii rather than sprawl out and continue building single-family homes. In Honolulu, people are isolated from their urban environment through the lack of connections to the street and human scale, creating an urban disconnect. This dissertation is a working solution for the state’s housing issue through a conceptual affordable housing design reflective of co-housing and multigenerational principles. A design framework will test this dissertation by applying components to an end product of a building design in Hawaii. Co-housing projects are often pedestrian-friendly, managed, maintained, and governed by the residents and include participation in shared activities and meals.
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Multigenerational housing, Housing, Single family--Design and construction, Dwellings--Design and construction
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