Spatial Agency: Creating New Opportunities for Sharing and Collaboration in Older People’s Cohousing

Abstract

Older people’s cohousing enables individuals to share spaces, resources, activities, and knowledge to expand their capability to act in society. Despite the diverse social, economic, and ethical aims that inform the creation of every cohousing community, there is often a disconnect between the social discourse developed by cohousing groups and the architectural spaces they create. This is a consequence of the building development process in cohousing, in which groups of older people are tasked with making decisions with considerable spatial implications prior to any collaboration with an architect. The concept of “spatial agency” offers an alternative model for the creation of cohousing, in which the expansion of architectural practice beyond aesthetic and technical building design enables social and spatial considerations to be explored contemporaneously. This study uses a two-year design-research collaboration with a cohousing group in Manchester, UK, to test the opportunities and constraints posed by a “spatial agency” approach to cohousing. The collaboration demonstrated how spatial agency enables both the architect and cohouser to act more creatively through a mutual sharing of knowledge, and, in doing so, tests new opportunities of sharing that are currently outside the cohousing orthodoxy.

Sharing Cities Shaping Cities

“…Mark Hammond [16] interprets sharing accommodation as a process of citizen engagement in the house design process, beyond profession and technical skills. The author explores and applies the concept of 'spatial agency' in the development of co-housing spaces in the UK to be inhabited by older people.…”

A Conceptual Framework for Urban Commoning in Shared Residential Landscapes in the UK

“…The above example demonstrates one way in which a balance between community autonomy and professional input can be achieved, however, further understanding is required to address the challenges faced in this area. Hammond [90] begins to address this lack of understanding by exploring ways in which flexibility can be incorporated in his collaborative 'spatial agency' approach to design with an older people's cohousing group in Manchester. He discusses how flexibility in the design of spaces to afford changing uses over time were important to the group he worked with.…”

“…This position was in recognition that the group's needs would inevitably change as they grew older, but that the types of shared activities the group might want to undertake in the future are unknown to them at present." [90] (p. 10). Hammond emphasises a need for an understanding of cohousing groups' desire to be involved in landscape management and maintenance from the outset, so that a more collaborative role can be adopted by design professionals and community ideas can be incorporated into the overall design.…”

“…This new facilitating role and emphasis on collaboration and partnership rather than traditionally professional procurement is explored in Hammond's reflection on his facilitating role with the older people's cohousing group in Manchester. He highlights, that whilst cohousing groups are actively involved in creating a collective identity and ethos, they "are disempowered from exploring the spatial implications and possibilities of these ideas" [90] (p. 4). Hammond investigates a method for overcoming this disempowerment by developing a new architect-cohouser relationship that enables the social identity of the cohousing group to develop alongside the spatial design development.…”

“…This calls for a new role from urban professionals to facilitate the negotiation. Hammond [90], in particular, suggested that professionals need to be involved at an earlier stage in the process during the development of the common mindset.…”