Sustainable Living and Co-Housing: Evidence from a Case Study of Eco-Villages
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Sustainable Living and Co-Housing: Evidence from a Case Study of Eco-Villages. / Marckmann, Bella Margrethe Mørch; Gram-Hanssen, Kirsten; Christensen, Toke Haunstrup.
In: Built Environment, Vol. 38, No. 3, 07.2012, p. 413-429.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Sustainable Living and Co-Housing: Evidence from a Case Study of Eco-Villages
AU - Marckmann, Bella Margrethe Mørch
AU - Gram-Hanssen, Kirsten
AU - Christensen, Toke Haunstrup
PY - 2012/7
Y1 - 2012/7
N2 - In this article we examine aspects of the different arguments for the environmental advantages of co-housing compared with individual households. The analysis is structured around four main questions, which are argued to be decisive for the question of co-housing and sustainability. The first is whether co-housing offers better opportunities for choosing and using more sustainable technologies, which also relates to the question of whether co-housing offers better opportunities for building smaller and denser and thus more energy efficient buildings. The second and third questions are socially oriented; one relates to the claim that co-housing can support pro-environmental behaviour among residents as they can support each other's norms and practices. The fourth and last claim relates to a discussion of co-housing as a more sustainable opportunity especially for people living alone, as the growing number of small households is an emerging sustainability problem. The empirical analyses are based on the results from a Danish study of eco-villages including a survey, interviews with representatives of the eco-village movement and a detailed case study of a group of people in the process of establishing a new cluster in an existing eco-village. The aim of the article is to contribute to the general discussions about co-housing and sustainability. The study adds nuances to this discussion and shows that the answer is not as straightforward as presented in much of the literature.
AB - In this article we examine aspects of the different arguments for the environmental advantages of co-housing compared with individual households. The analysis is structured around four main questions, which are argued to be decisive for the question of co-housing and sustainability. The first is whether co-housing offers better opportunities for choosing and using more sustainable technologies, which also relates to the question of whether co-housing offers better opportunities for building smaller and denser and thus more energy efficient buildings. The second and third questions are socially oriented; one relates to the claim that co-housing can support pro-environmental behaviour among residents as they can support each other's norms and practices. The fourth and last claim relates to a discussion of co-housing as a more sustainable opportunity especially for people living alone, as the growing number of small households is an emerging sustainability problem. The empirical analyses are based on the results from a Danish study of eco-villages including a survey, interviews with representatives of the eco-village movement and a detailed case study of a group of people in the process of establishing a new cluster in an existing eco-village. The aim of the article is to contribute to the general discussions about co-housing and sustainability. The study adds nuances to this discussion and shows that the answer is not as straightforward as presented in much of the literature.
KW - Faculty of Social Sciences
KW - cohousing
KW - bofællesskaber
KW - økosamfund
KW - teknologier
KW - sociale praksisser
KW - bæredygtighed
KW - bolig
U2 - http://dx.doi.org/10.2148/benv.38.3.413
DO - http://dx.doi.org/10.2148/benv.38.3.413
M3 - Journal article
VL - 38
SP - 413
EP - 429
JO - Built Environment
JF - Built Environment
SN - 0263-7960
IS - 3
ER -
ID: 120127971