Coliving

Coliving spaces sell community. Whether they deliver it depends on something beyond the architecture.

The coliving industry has grown rapidly as a response to urban isolation and the difficulty of building social life in new cities. But proximity alone is not community — and many coliving residents discover this firsthand.

Coliving works when the shared spaces are actually used, the community manager is good at their job, and residents are there long enough to form habits around each other.

The best coliving spaces function like good hostels: shared kitchens where people actually cook together, communal evenings that are optional but well-attended, a culture of conversation that is maintained by staff and early residents and absorbed by newcomers. The key ingredient is not the physical design — it is active community management. Someone has to make the introductions, organise the dinners, hold the culture together.

Coliving spaces that lack this — buildings that offer shared amenities but no shared culture — tend to produce the same isolated experience as any apartment block. People cook separately, keep their doors closed, wear headphones in the common areas. The promise of community is delivered by the marketing but not by the management.

When evaluating coliving options, the question to ask is not "what are the amenities?" but "what does a typical Tuesday evening look like here?"

Even in a well-functioning coliving space, you sometimes need to talk to someone outside the building.

Mindfuse provides anonymous one-on-one voice calls with real people anywhere in the world. No setup, no profile, available any time. The conversation you need at 11pm when your coliving neighbours are all asleep. One free conversation per month, then €4/month. iOS and Android.

Real conversation, any time.

Mindfuse: anonymous voice calls with real people. €4/month.