We are pleased to announce the publication of our latest article, “Gedeelde huisvesting en circulair stedelijk wonen: vraag- en aanbodkwesties”, in Nieuwsbrief Milieu & Economie a platform dedicated to research and insights at the intersection of sustainability and economic development. The piece is based on research from the Consumer Demand for Circular Urban Living (CDCUL) project and examines consumer preferences for forms of shared housing in order to contribute to more circular urban development.
The article highlights that while household sizes in Europe and North America are decreasing, the amount of living space per person continues to grow, leading to higher resource use and emissions. At the same time, there is growing interest among urban residents in shared housing solutions. This points to a structural mismatch: demand exists, but supply remains limited.
Our research shows that this gap is largely driven by institutional and regulatory barriers. Existing housing systems are still designed around private, self-contained households, making it difficult to develop and scale shared housing models.
The article compares two dominant approaches:
- Co-housing, which is community-led and environmentally promising, but slow and difficult to scale
- Co-living, which is more market-driven and scalable, but raises concerns around affordability, tenant security, and social equity
Towards policy-driven sufficiency
Both co-housing and co-living respond to a fundamental structural challenge: household sizes are shrinking, while material consumption per person continues to rise. However, neither model on its own can ensure environmentally sustainable or socially equitable outcomes at scale.
The key challenge for policymakers is therefore institutional. To better align housing systems with circular economy objectives, several shifts are needed. These include revisiting minimum space and parking requirements, establishing clearer legal frameworks for shared housing, supporting cooperative and non-profit development models, and safeguarding against speculative short-term rental practices.
While demand for shared housing is clearly present, the priority now is to translate this interest into housing solutions that are not only scalable and affordable, but also genuinely contribute to circular urban living.
Read the full article in Dutch here: https://www.nieuwsbriefmilieueneconomie.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1245:gedeelde-huisvesting-en-circulair-stedelijk-wonen-vraag-en-aanbodkwesties&catid=36:onderzoek&Itemid=130
Read the article commentary (in English) here: Boyer, R. H., Armstrong, A., Jordan, S., Hunka, A. D., Wensing, J., & Bocken, N. (2026). Planning for sufficiency shared housing: Toward an agenda for future research and practice. Urban Studies, 00420980261419662.
